Belmont Park's Grand Comeback: $555M Rehab and Triple Crown Vows!
Belmont Park celebrated its grand reopening after a three-year, $555 million renovation, drawing a jubilant crowd to its modernized facilities. Governor Kathy Hochul affirmed the preservation of the 150-year-old Triple Crown tradition, clarifying that a new Championship Series is supplementary, not eliminative.
Belmont Park, a historic landmark in horse racing, celebrated its grand reopening on Friday after an extensive, three-year, top-to-bottom renovation. The ambitious project, costing a total of $555 million – with New York State committing $455 million and the New York Racing Association (NYRA) an additional $100 million – marks a new era for the venue, which last hosted races three years, two months, and nine days prior to its grand return.
The excitement surrounding the modernized, state-of-the-art facility was palpable. Despite ongoing construction limiting the sold-out crowd to 6,000 attendees, a jubilant atmosphere permeated the grounds. Fans, ranging from those who had frequented the old Belmont Park since the 1980s, like Dan Sluszka of North Babylon, to newcomers like Filipp Kumanovskiy of Niagara Falls, Canada, gathered to witness the rebirth of the track. Kumanovskiy, intrigued by Japanese horse Forever Young competing in the $1 million Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup, found the reopening a perfect introduction to horse racing.
The festivities commenced with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Gov. Kathy Hochul. The first race of the nine-race program, a 1 1/4-mile event on the inner turf, began at 1:33 p.m., with jockey Antonio Fresu and the British horse Lisa Joy claiming victory. Fresu praised the renovated track and facilities, describing them as “top-class,” “fantastic,” and having an “amazing” surface, highlighting it as one of the best turf courses he had ever ridden.
A significant highlight of the reopening was Gov. Hochul's strong commitment to preserving the 150-year-old Triple Crown tradition. Her appearance came amidst discussions sparked by a new six-race Championship Series presented by Churchill Downs and NYRA. While this series includes prestigious events like the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes, the conspicuous absence of the Preakness had led to widespread speculation among horseracing fans about the potential demise of the Triple Crown.
Addressing these concerns directly, Governor Hochul declared to Newsday after the ribbon cutting, “The Triple Crown stays.” She clarified that the newly introduced Championship Series is intended to serve as a supplement to the Triple Crown, rather than an effort to eliminate it. Although she did not commit to including the Preakness in the new race card, the governor firmly reiterated her stance: “I don't know who's deciding to make that, but we're keeping the Triple Crown,” reassuring the horse racing community of the tradition's continuation at Belmont Park.