NYRA confirms racing returns to reconstructed Belmont Park on Sept. 18
Construction at Belmont Park reached a milestone in the fall and the reopening of the racetrack remains "on time and on budget," according to Marc Holliday, the chairman of the NYRA board of directors. Belmont Park is scheduled to reopen on Sept. 18, 2026. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
The finish line — or the starting gate, depending on the point of view — is in sight. Live thoroughbred racing will resume at the reconstructed Belmont Park on Sept. 18, the New York Racing Association confirmed on Thursday in releasing its stakes schedule for the fall meet in Elmont.
The opening day program will be the first races at Belmont Park since July 9, 2023, when it closed for an ongoing $575 million renovation project that includes the construction of a new grandstand. The Grade 1 $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup will highlight the first day of racing and be broadcast by Fox.
The new grandstand will not yet be at full capacity with construction expected to be completed and the facility fully operational in April 2027. New York State contributed $455 million to the project via a loan to NYRA.
“The new Belmont Park will provide the stage to showcase the best racing in North America,” Andrew Offerman, NYRA’s senior vice president of racing and operations, said in a statement. “With that in mind, we have arrived at a stakes schedule that reflects the importance of the fall racing season, emphasizes major weekends throughout the meet, and establishes a strong foundation in advance of the 2027 Breeders’ Cup World Championships. We look forward to Sept. 18 and the next chapter in NYRA’s history.”
The Breeders’ Cup will be run at the new Belmont Park on Oct. 29-30, 2027.
The third and final Belmont Stakes at bucolic Saratoga Race Course will be run on June 6 before returning to its namesake home next year.
NYRA’s fall meet at Belmont Park will run through Dec. 6.
Also coming soon is an all-weather synthetic track that is expected to be open for training by the end of spring. It will be the fourth oval to go with the 1 1/2-mile main dirt track and two inner turf courses.
“That’s going to be a big boon,” Michael Dubb, a member of the NYRA board of directors since 2008, told Newsday in a recent telephone conversation. “Because the problem with horse racing is the horse population is going down and so many of the grass horses can’t run here in the winter. But grass horses tend to be able to run on synthetic.”
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
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