Live thoroughbred racing is set to return to the reconstructed Belmont Park on Sept. 18, 2026. The New York Racing Association (NYRA) confirmed the reopening date when releasing its stakes schedule for the autumn meet in Elmont.
Belmont Park has been closed since July 9, 2023, for a $575 million renovation project. The project includes the construction of a new grandstand.
Return to Racing at Belmont Park
The opening day programme on Sept. 18 will be the first races at Belmont Park since it closed for renovations. The Grade 1 $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup will headline the first day of racing. Fox will broadcast the event.
According to Marc Holliday, the chairman of the NYRA board of directors, construction at Belmont Park reached a milestone in the fall. He added that the reopening of the racetrack remains “on time and on budget”.
The new grandstand will not be at full capacity until April 2027, when construction is expected to be completed and the facility fully operational.
Breeders’ Cup and Fall Meet Details
The Breeders’ Cup is scheduled to be held at the new Belmont Park on Oct. 29-30, 2027.
- The third and final Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course will be run on June 6 before returning to Belmont Park next year.
“The new Belmont Park will provide the stage to showcase the best racing in North America,” said Andrew Offerman, NYRA’s senior vice president of racing and operations. “With that in mind, we have arrived at a stakes schedule that reflects the importance of the fall racing season, emphasizes major weekends throughout the meet, and establishes a strong foundation in advance of the 2027 Breeders’ Cup World Championships. We look forward to Sept. 18 and the next chapter in NYRA’s history.”
NYRA’s autumn meet at Belmont Park will run through Dec. 6.
Synthetic Track to Open for Training
An all-weather synthetic track is expected to be open for training by the end of spring. It will be the fourth oval, joining the 1 1/2-mile main dirt track and two inner turf courses.
Michael Dubb, a member of the NYRA board of directors since 2008, said, “That’s going to be a big boon. Because the problem with horse racing is the horse population is going down and so many of the grass horses can’t run here in the winter. But grass horses tend to be able to run on synthetic.”
New York State contributed $455 million to the project via a loan to NYRA.