Report: N.Y. commission approves added Saratoga dates

Photo:

Jason Moran / Eclipse Sportswire

The New York State Gaming Commission approved plans for Saratoga to host a five-day Belmont Stakes racing festival and to start its summer meet a week early.

WNYT-TV in Albany, N.Y., reported that the Belmont Stakes racing festival will begin Wednesday, June 4, and run through Sunday, June 8. The Belmont Stakes, the third leg of racing’s Triple Crown, will be on Saturday, June 7.

The New York Racing Association also received approval for a Fourth of July racing festival, according to the report. It will run from Thursday, July 3, to Sunday, July 6.

The early start date to the Saratoga meet was requested this year because the the track’s summer meet will begin the following week, on July 10, which is earlier than usual.

The Belmont Stakes was held at Saratoga this year because of the $455 million renovation of Belmont Park. If construction goes as planned, the Belmont Stakes is scheduled to return to Belmont Park in 2026.