NYRA, Saratoga Springs ready for Belmont Racing Festival to kick off Thursday

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — Since December, when it was announced that the Belmont Stakes would be running up at the historic Saratoga Race Course, anticipation and excitement have been building as the Spa City and the surrounding area gets ready for its arrival. With the racing festival officially kicking off Thursday, that wait is almost over.

“This is one of the most anticipated sporting events in upstate New York history, to be held in front of racing’s most passionate and knowledgeable fans here at the sport’s most important and revered venue,” NYRA Vice President of Communications Pat McKenna said. “That’s a winning combination and as far as NYRA is concerned, we thank this community for welcoming this event so enthusiastically, not just recently, but really since it was officially announced in December.”

The four-day racing festival will include 23 stakes races with purses totaling $9.7 million, the highest purse levels and number of stakes offered since the launch of the multi-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival in 2014. The event will be highlighted by the 156th edition of the Belmont Stakes, which will run on Saturday as the 12th race with a post time of 6:41 p.m.

Gate opening times vary each day, Thursday at 11 a.m., Friday at 10:30 a.m., Belmont Stakes Saturday at 9 a.m., and Sunday at 11 a.m. Gates will also open for early morning access on Thursday and Sunday at 7 a.m. to watch training – with the ground being cleared at 10 a.m. Picnic tables are unavailable for claiming during early morning access on Thursday or Sunday.

After the official gate opens, no re-entry is permitted throughout the four-day festival.

The Belmont Racing Festival will be cashless for a variety of purchases, including food & beverage service, admissions, and parking. Credit and debit cards will be accepted for purchases. Also, deviating from the typical practice of the annual 40-day meet, no outside alcoholic beverages can be brought into the venue, including in coolers. However, coolers full of food and drinks, as long as they’re non-alcoholic, can still be brought in. Coolers larger than 12″ x 18″ will not be allowed.

One folding chair is allowed per guest, but pop-up tents, folding tables of any kind, and wagons will not be permitted inside the gates. Other prohibited items include air horns, weapons, confetti, fireworks, and illegal drugs or substances. A full list of permitted and banned items is available on Belmont’s security page.

NYRA’s website provides helpful links for more information regarding the racing festival, including where to purchase parking online, grounds map, suggestions on what to wear, and more. Visit the Belmont webpage for more information.

With the scope of the Belmont Stakes in mind, some larger-than-life entertainment will accompany the world-class racing at the Saratoga Race Course – one of the biggest being Tony Award-winning actress, singer/songwriter, producer, and author Idina Menzel will perform the celebrated theme song “New York, New York” just before the Post Parade on Belmont Stake Day.

Other performances on Saturday include Sergeant Major MaryKay Messenger, lead vocalist for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, who will sing “God Bless America” at 10:30 a.m. and the National Anthem later in the afternoon, Tom Nitti, a popular Country singer and former contestant on NBC’s “The Voice,” who will perform live from the Purdy’s Summer Music Stage beginning at 11 a.m.,  jump scheduled for approximately 1:30 p.m. by professional skydivers from the veteran-owned-and-operated Patriot Parachute Team.

“The Belmont Stakes is a different event in size and scope,” McKenna said regarding the entertainment. “This is a reflection of that in what we ordinarily see downstate, and to be able to bring that here, in terms of outside entertainment, is an integral part of this festival.”

Saturday isn’t the only day chalked full of entertainment, Thursday will feature the Mendelssohn Club of Albany, which will perform the National Anthem and a medley of Broadway selections including  “Oklahoma,” “Hey Look Me Over,” “Good Night Sweetheart” and “Fugue for Tinhorns,” Friday will feature Opera Saratoga who will sing the National Anthem  and two horse racing themed selections from the Broadway hit show “Guys and Dolls” and Sunday will feature The Racing City Chorus who will sing the national anthem “Blue Skies,” “Wonderful Day Medley,” “It’s Only a Paper Moon” and “Top of the World.”

The Purdy’s Summer Music Stage will feature live music throughout the four-day festival, including the Garland Nelson Band on Thursday, IMI on Friday, Tom Nitti followed by ILL Funk on Belmont Stakes Day and Alex Torres & His Latin Orchestra on Sunday.

In honor of the Belmont Stakes, the Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) will provide a trolley service for the community and visitors to “ensure attendees can focus on the fun and festivities” throughout the week. Running from noon to 10 p.m., Thursday through Sunday, the Trolley is free for customers, courtesy of NYRA Bets and the Saratoga Casino Hotel, and will stop at service, hotels, and attractions along Broadway, with direct access to the Saratoga Race Course and the Saratoga Casino Hotel.

CDTA will also provide a shuttle service for the “Belmont on Broadway – Blues Traveler” concert on Wednesday, June 5. Services will run from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. from two park-and-ride locations – one between the Route 50 lot at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center and the bus stop on Broadway at Congress Park and a second shuttle from the Wilton Mall bus stop and the corner of High Rock and Lake Avenues. Shuttles will run every 20 minutes, depending on traffic.

For more information about CDTA services and the trolley schedule, please visit https://www.cdta.org.

The four-day racing festival is estimated to have a $50 million economic impact on the area, according to the President of the Saratoga County Chamber via a study conducted on the attendance at the Saratoga Race Course during the typical 40-day meet.

To kick off the racing festival, a free Belmont on Broadway concert is being held in the heart of downtown Saratoga.  Featuring headliner Blues Traveler, the concert will be held from 6 to 10 p.m. on Wednesday, closing down Broadway between Van Dam Street and Lake Avenue from approximately 5 a.m. on Wednesday, June 5 to 2 a.m. on Thursday, June 6.

Other groups performing at the concert include Tops of Trees and The Pat McGee Band. According to Discover Saratoga’s website, the purpose of the concert is to “attract people to the area for the entire first week of June, for this summer, for next year’s Belmont Stakes, and for years to come, including the 250th anniversary of The Battles of Saratoga in 2027.”

“To be able to kick off the week on Wednesday with a free concert downtown to shine a bright light on everything that makes Saratoga so special, certainly during the race meet, but now, a little bit of a different part of the year to be able to drive this level of economic activity and interest in this wonderful upstate New York community is really important to everyone here at NYRA,” McKenna said. “This is a place that we are fortunate to return to every summer for more than 150 years, and to be able to do something for the first time at a venue that’s hosted racing since 1863, is really special – and that’s not lost on anyone here.

“But most importantly, this is about providing a world-class experience for the 150,000 or so fans who will come through the gates over the course of the four days.”

Saratoga Springs Mayor John Safford shared he was “totally confident” in every phase of “this unprecedented and exciting week of The Belmont at historic Saratoga Springs Race Course.”

“It is not that Saratoga Springs has not had very successful racing festivals, as we will have during our regular racing season, but we have developed the infrastructure to take on almost any huge event and make it successful,” Safford said. “We are ready for the Belmont.”

According to McKenna, the relationship between NYRA and local leadership in the town of Saratoga Springs has never been better. Be it working collaboratively with local officials, the Chamber of Commerce, Discover Saratoga, and other organizations since the announcement has all led to this week of preparation.

“We’re so fortunate to be able to show Saratoga not only to the 150,000 people who will be here over the course of the weekend but to the millions more who will be watching on FOX Sports beginning Thursday,” McKenna said. “They (local leaders) clearly understand and appreciate the impact that this place has, not only on Saratoga Springs, the entire county, and really the entire Capital Region.”

NYRA and the Saratoga Community as a whole are excited to welcome the Belmont Racing Festival and all that it brings to the area for a weekend that the city, its residents, and all who attend will not forget for a very, very long time.