The Belmont Stakes is on the move in 2024.
Due to a $450 million reconstruction project at Belmont Park, the annual third leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown is heading three hours north to the shorter Saratoga Race Course, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Wednesday.
The New York Racing Association said work at Belmont Park could take up to two years. Hochul called the move a “temporary situation” and hopes the first major renovation of the famed track since 1963 is completed ahead of schedule.
The winner’s purse for the popular bet race, which will be held June 8, goes up $500,000 to $2 million while the track goes from 1 ½ miles to 1 ¼.
The four-day thoroughbred “Racing Festival” at Saratoga will be held June 6-9, and the track complex holds 50,000 patrons. In comparison, Belmont Park draws between 50,000 and 90,000 fans.
“Instead of shutting down Belmont completely, we can take the races elsewhere in the state,” Hochul said during a press conference.
Derby odds
The announcement for the Belmont Stakes coincided with the horse racing industry reaching 150 days until the 150th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.
We are now officially 150 days away from the running of the historic 150th Kentucky Derby race! 🌹
— Jeffrey Benson (@JeffreyBenson12) December 6, 2023
As such we’ve opened our KY Derby Futures pool here at @CircaSports this morning.
We have 202 horses listed to bet on with a stipulation of all bets are action.
(1/3) pic.twitter.com/iXR7sJ4fTd
Fierceness is the betting favorite at 12/1, followed by Nysos at 17/1. The 2024 Kentucky Derby is scheduled for May 4.
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