Belmont Park

Belmont Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Elmont, New York, United States, just east of New York City limits. It is one of the most well known racetracks in the country, as it hosts the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the American Triple Crown. The original structure opened on May 4, 1905, and was demolished in 1963. A second grandstand opened in 1968 and was demolished in 2024. The third iteration of Belmont Park opened in September 2026.

Operated by the New York Racing Association (NYRA), Belmont Park is typically open for racing from late April through mid-July (known as the Spring meet), and again from mid-September through late October (the Fall meet). The race park's main dirt track has earned the nickname, "the Big Sandy", given its prominent overall dimensions (1+1⁄2 miles (2.4 km)) and the deep, sometimes tiring surface. Belmont is also sometimes known as "The Championship Track" because almost every major champion in racing history since the early 20th century has competed on the racecourse – including all of the Triple Crown winners. Belmont Park, with its large, wide, sweeping turns and long homestretch, is considered one of the fairest racetracks in America.

Belmont hosted its largest crowd at the 2004 Belmont Stakes, when 120,139 spectators saw Smarty Jones upset by Birdstone in his Triple Crown bid.

Opened

1905

Capacity

50,000

Owner

State of New York

Notable races

Belmont Derby · Belmont Oaks · Belmont Stakes

From Wikipedia: Belmont Park, CC BY-SA 4.0; the opening of the article, quoted as written.