Why isn’t the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park? Explaining the Relocation to Saratoga
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The Belmont Stakes isn't at Belmont Park this year.
It won't even be run at the typical 1.5-mile distance.
The Belmont Stakes will take place in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. at Saratoga Race Course.
Why?
Belmont is undergoing a transformative modernization project that will see major upgrades to the racetrack on Long Island. The project is expected to take two years, so the 2024 running and 2025 running of the Belmont Stakes will take place at Saratoga.
It will be the first significant upgrades to the facility since the 1960s. Belmont Park's renovation is expected to cost $455 million and will allow for races at Belmont to be run year round.
The most important note about the move to the Saratoga track is the distance. The Belmont Stakes won't be run at the historical 1.5-mile distance this year and will be run at 1.25 miles instead.
That is notable for the handicapping of the race. Historically, handicapping the Belmont meant trying to find horses that could accomplish the distance as it's rare for a race to be run at 1.5 miles.
Although the third leg of the Triple Crown will look different than usual, it will still include the same world-class field of 3-year-old horses. Mystik Dan, the winner of the Kentucky Derby, is in the field, along with the Derby's second-place finisher, Sierra Leone.
Seize the Grey, coming off a win at the Preakness Stakes, is also in the field. Sierra Leone and Seize the Grey are expected to be the favorites leading into the race.
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