Belmont Park set to reopen Friday for racing-starved Long Islanders

For nearly three years, the grandstands and the track at Belmont Park had been silent. Galloping thoroughbreds and roaring crowds of racing fans and gamblers had moved on to tracks like Aqueduct in Queens or Saratoga upstate.

The silence at the historic Elmont racetrack ends Friday when Belmont Park reopens with a brand-new, gleaming facility and a full slate of races.

For nearby businesses that have long depended on Belmont to bring in customers, and a community craving the return of world-class horse racing to Long Island, waiting for the $555 million renovation to be completed has been the hardest part.

"I think Floral Park is whole again," said Bill Barry, owner of the horse racing-themed Paddock Bar in Floral Park. "There was an emptiness without having the races at the track there. There was always something to do, when there was nothing to do. We’ve been missing the Belmont Stakes the last three years."

While the races have been silent, local communities have been working with the New York Racing Association to build up around Belmont Park, including improved draining to reduce flooding and berms to reduce noise and glare from the parking lot lights at the track, which abuts UBS Arena.

"Our goal is for Belmont Park to be a vibrant community asset, center of activity for local residents and point of pride for Nassau County and Long Island," said Robert Hines, NYRA Community Affairs Manager. "The advice and guidance from our neighbors in Elmont, Floral Park and Eastern Queens has been critically important throughout the redevelopment process, and NYRA is deeply appreciative for their support."

Renovations, including an all-weather synthetic track, will also allow racing to return to Belmont nearly year-round, rather than shutting down in the winter like in years past. 

Fans will return to find smaller grandstands, with a capacity 6,000 seats on Friday and later reduced to 4,000 as construction continues. Once complete, the building will hold 10,000 fans and the facility capacity for racing events will be more than 50,000.

Across the street from the stables on Hempstead Turnpike in Elmont, Peter Daly, 74, the owner of Tack Room Products, has been handmaking saddles and horse equipment for nearly 50 years. Daly said he maintained his operation in the past three years by catering to jockeys and horse owners around the state, but racing back at Belmont will be even better for business.

Daly, a former professional polo player, got choked up at the return of the Breeders’ Cup in October 2027, marking the first return of the championship race to Belmont since 2005.

"Those horses, they shine, they stand out. It was just an unbelievable pleasure to watch groups of them one after another come on to the racetrack to train in the morning," Daly said. "I'm really excited because there really is nothing is like the Breeders' Cup."

Local leaders have been part of the Belmont Park Local Advisory Board since it was signed into law in 2020 to provide input from surrounding communities such as Floral Park, South Floral Park, Elmont and Queens.

Assemb. Michaelle Solages (D-Elmont), who is part of the board, said the races are expected to bring an economic boon to surrounding communities. Solages said NYRA has worked with residents to address flooding issues on neighboring properties and officials with the state racing agency have been responsive to concerns. 

"The community is very eager to have Belmont back in its proper place." Solages said. "It’s surreal to think the construction is finally completed and we’re ready to welcome back racing and their fans."

NYRA officials said they held nine advisory board meetings in the past two years, in addition to 47 other meetings where officials met with more than 2,000 residents.

Floral Park Mayor Kevin Fitzgerald said Belmont Park has been part of the community for a century, helping to bring  visitors to the village and restaurants.

Among the chief concerns of residents was a sump located directly behind the racetrack. officials worked with NYRA for the past five years to excavate and build a new stormwater recharge basin to reduce homeowners’ basement flooding, Fitzgerald said.

The new basin is about four acres wide, capable of holding about 6 inches of rain water each day during sudden heavy storms, Fitzgerald said.

Improvements also included replacing fencing near property owners and building a 3- to 4-foot high berm along the back Emerald parking lot near the Elmont train station to block light by planting hundreds of arborvitae trees between homes.

"It has made a big difference to especially the residents who live there," Fitzgerald said. "We used to get complaints prior about you know noise and light pollution coming from that new lot that was built, but that has since ceased."