Belmont Park Reopens After Three-Year, $555 Million Reconstruction

Horse racing returned to Belmont Park on Friday for the first time in more than three years. Gov. Kathy Hochul joined racing officials and labor leaders to open a rebuilt facility that state officials called the first major new thoroughbred venue built in the United States in more than four decades.

The project replaced a former grandstand of roughly 1.5 million square feet with a five-story, about 300,000-square-foot glass-enclosed structure with new bars, restaurants and premium spaces. Four new racing surfaces were built, and the infield is open to the public for the first time in the track's history. Year-round racing is part of the new design.

The New York Racing Association said a sold-out crowd of 6,000 attended opening day. Capacity is limited while upper floors remain under construction. NYRA chief executive Matt Chmura said the grandstand will be fully open by spring 2027, with more than 50,000 fans expected for the Belmont Stakes.

Reconstruction was backed by a $455 million state loan approved in New York's fiscal year 2024 budget. Hochul said $50 million of that loan has already been repaid and that the project created 3,700 union jobs.

"With the new Belmont Park, New York enters into a league of its own," Hochul said at the morning ribbon-cutting.

As part of the deal, Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens closed permanently. NYRA separately invested $100 million in four new tracks at the Elmont facility.

The Belmont Stakes, held in Saratoga Springs during construction, is scheduled to return to Elmont in 2027. The Breeders' Cup World Championships are also set for Belmont that year.

Seating is smaller than before — about 10,000 seats, down from roughly 27,000. Some early visitors said they felt farther from the horses than at the old track; others welcomed the new amenities. Backstretch renovations for horses and stable workers are expected to continue into the fall.