Belmont Park reopens and they're off to the races
It had been three years, two months and nine days since the last race at Belmont Park.
So when horse racing finally returned Friday following a three-year redevelopment of the venue, with New York State committing $455 million to the project and the New York Racing Association an additional $100 million, the energy was palpable.
The sold-out crowd for Friday’s nine-race program was limited to 6,000 because of ongoing construction. But those 6,000 people, who included everyone from fans who grew up watching races at the old Belmont Park to those seeing their very first race, created a jubilant atmosphere as the modernized, state-of-the-art facility was in action for the first time.
“It's the opening of Belmont,” said Dan Sluszka, 74, of North Babylon. “I've been here. I've been coming to the track since the '80s. I want to see the new track. I had to get here the first day.”
Filipp Kumanovskiy, 29, of Niagara Falls, Canada, is fairly new to horse racing. He figured Friday would be the perfect introduction, especially with Japanese horse Forever Young competing in (and ultimately winning) the Jockey Club Gold Cup, a $1 million Grade 1 race that provides a Breeders’ Cup Classic berth for the winner.
“This is actually my first time at a racetrack,” he said. “I thought that Belmont Park's reopening would be a pretty cool experience to see. I've gotten interested in horse racing within the last year, and then, I guess, wanted to see some races in person. And there being a G1 race today, one with a foreign horse entering, would be a pretty unique and interesting experience.”
The festivities began Friday morning with a ribbon-cutting ceremony that Gov. Kathy Hochul partook in. Gates opened at noon, and there was a lengthy line alongside the adjacent UBS Arena. Country singer Dierks Bentley performed live in the afternoon.
The first race, a 1 1/4-mile race on the inner turf, began at 1:33 p.m. Jockey Antonio Fresu and horse Lisa Joy, from Great Britain, emerged victorious.
“It’s an amazing feeling to be part of this historical track and historical reopening of the Belmont Park,” Fresu said. “They seem to be doing a tremendous job. The track is fantastic. The grandstand looks fantastic, all the facilities. So I’m really, really happy to be part of it.”
He added that the track is “top-class” and the surface feels “amazing” — one of the best turf courses he’s ridden.
General admission tickets for Friday were $50 apiece and included complimentary food, soft drinks and a commemorative program. Those tickets will cost $10 on Saturday and Sunday. Starting Thursday, general admission tickets will cost $7 when purchased in advance and $10 at the gate.
Attendance capacity will remain 6,000 on Saturday and Sunday, then decrease to 4,000 beginning Thursday as construction continues. The first two floors of the grandstand will be open throughout the fall meet, but the full completion of the third, fourth and fifth floors of the grandstand is not expected until early 2027. NYRA said that facility capacity will be increased as additional portions of the building open.
Capacity within the new building will be approximately 10,000 upon its completion. Capacity for the Belmont Stakes will be at least 50,000, and fans will be able to watch the races from the infield for the first time.
The new Belmont Park has four courses: a traditional 1 1/2-mile dirt track, two turf courses and a one-mile Tapeta oval (a synthetic track that will be Belmont’s exclusive winter racing surface).
Jackson Harrison, 33, of Los Angeles, became more into horse racing because of the Japanese horse racing anime franchise, “Umamusume: Pretty Derby.” Forever Young is a character in Umamusume, and he came to Belmont Park to see the horse, which he called the character’s in-real-life counterpart.
“I've been here previously a few times, but this is obviously the first time I've been [to the new venue],” he said. “… It’s nice to see a state-of-the-art facility such as Belmont Park, especially in the new era. A lot of great racing.”
Sammy Roseman, 19, of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, grew up going to the old Belmont Park with his dad, Ira, and they attended Friday’s program together. Sammy said he “couldn’t miss” the reopening.
“This is the future right here,” he added. “No Aqueduct anymore.”
John Luby, 74, of Queens, started attending the races with his mother in the mid-1990s.
One of the criticisms regarding the new venue is how futuristic the architecture is compared to the old massive brick grandstand (which UBS Arena surely was modeled after).
“I think it's beautiful,” Luby said. “It's funny because about, I guess, five or six years ago, they had a group when they were trying to decide what to do with Belmont, and I was part of that group. There were like 36 people at the Garden City Hotel that gave their impressions about it, and a lot of people didn't want them to do anything to the track. They didn’t want the brick to be taken off.
“But sometimes you just got to move on. And I hope there's more seating available than it is right now. But it's a beautiful facility.”
The new grandstand is noticeably smaller, which was an immediate impression for regular fans. Sluszka estimated it’s “half the size.”
“I loved the old track, I really did,” he said. “They’re going to have to convince me.”
Ben Dickson is Newsday Sports' general assignment reporter. He joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.
More horse racing
