Governor Kathy Hochul | Horse Racing Free Tips

Belmont Stakes Officially Shifts To Saratoga In 2024, Run At 1 1/4 Miles

New York Governor Kathy Hochul made it official that the 2024 GI Belmont S. will be held for the first time at Saratoga Race Course and be run at 1 1/4 miles to allow for the uninterrupted construction of a new and re-imagined Belmont Park, the governor said in a release Wednesday.

“As part of the exciting modernization of Belmont Park, Saratoga now adds to its storied history by hosting the third leg of the Triple Crown,” Governor Hochul said. “It's a win for horse racing and for the Capital Region to have the excitement and the ability to host the four-day Festival in June at America's most historic track. As I said during the 2023 Saratoga Meet, 'Let's do it.'”

Highlighted by the 156th edition of the Belmont S. on Saturday, June 8, the 2024 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will begin on Thursday, June 6 and continue through Sunday, June 9. The four-day Festival at Saratoga Race Course will include 23 stakes races in total with purses totaling $9.7 million, the highest purse levels and number of stakes offered since the launch of the multi-day event in 2014.

The New York Racing Association (NYRA) will increase the purse of the Belmont S. from $1.5 million to $2 million in 2024, which is the first significant increase since 2014. In addition, pending the approval of the North American Graded Stakes Committee, the race will be contested at 1 1/4 miles in 2024 rather than the traditional 1 1/2 miles due to the configuration of Saratoga's main track.

“Thanks to Governor Hochul's support for a new and modernized Belmont Park, NYRA will soon be able to bring the Belmont S. to Upstate New York for the first time in history. Beyond the excitement and energy around a Triple Crown event at the sport's most beloved venue, the Belmont S. at Saratoga Race Course will generate important economic impact and drive tourism throughout the Capital Region,” said NYRA's President and CEO David O'Rourke. “We are thrilled to add a new chapter to the story of Thoroughbred racing in Saratoga Springs this June.”

Earlier this year, Governor Hochul's Executive Budget included a proposal for NYRA to build new Thoroughbred racing facilities at Belmont Park; the FY2024 Enacted Budget granted that approval. This project will transform the 117-year-old track, bringing the modern hospitality offerings fans expect while generating $1 billion in construction-related impacts, 3,700 construction jobs, $155 million in annual economic activity, and 740 new full-time jobs. Upgrading Belmont, which sustains 19,000 jobs across the state and a $3-billion annual economic impact, will also dramatically expand the amount of open space available to fans and the surrounding community.

Following the conclusion of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga, the NYRA circuit will return to Aqueduct Racetrack for the remainder of the spring meet before racing shifts to Saratoga for the annual 40-day summer meet beginning Thursday, July 11. Prior to the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, the Belmont Spring/Summer meet will be conducted at Aqueduct. The fall meet customarily held at Belmont Park will again be shifted to Aqueduct Racetrack in 2024 while construction of a new Belmont Park continues.

While 2024 will mark the first time the Belmont S. unfolds at Saratoga, the race was moved to Aqueduct Racetrack from 1963-1967 when Belmont Park last underwent significant renovations, and the distance has been adjusted throughout history, with the most recent change coming in 2020 when the Triple Crown was modified because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Additional information and details on hospitality offerings, ticket packages and pricing for the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course will be available in early 2024.

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Two Taxpayers Sue to Block $455m Loan to Rebuild Belmont

Two New York residents sued the state, its governing bodies, elected officials, and the New York Racing Association (NYRA) on Thursday in an attempt to block the recently announced $455-million loan to renovate Belmont Park.

“This case is about the State of New York's unconstitutional appropriation of taxpayer funds by loaning nearly half a billion dollars to NYRA, all while turning a blind eye to NYRA's past two decades of financial mismanagement, malfeasance and scandal, and, more importantly, ignoring the State's Constitutional prohibition against providing State monies–whether by loan or by grant–to private corporations like NYRA,” stated the June 22 complaint filed in the Supreme Court of the State of New York.

The plaintiffs, who each identify themselves in the filing as a “citizen taxpayer of the State of New York who has paid, and is paying, New York State income and sales taxes,” want a judgment declaring that the state's loan “would be an illegal and unconstitutional expenditure, misappropriation, misapplication, or disbursement of State funds.”

The plaintiffs are also demanding an order “enjoining the State of New York and the Office of the New York State Comptroller from disbursing funds to or in aid of NYRA, and enjoining NYRA from receiving any State funds.”

The complaint continued: “If some or all of the State's funds have already been disbursed to or in aid of NYRA, [plaintiffs want] an order requiring restitution to the State of those funds pursuant to State Finance Law.”

The plaintiffs are Jannette Patterson and John Di Leonardo. The defendants are the State of New York, the New York State Assembly, the New York State Senate, Governor Kathy Hochul, state comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, and NYRA.

“The constitutionality of the State's appropriation is a definite, concrete, and substantial legal controversy that requires judicial intervention,” the lawsuit stated.

“The construction of a new Belmont Park will create thousands of jobs, generate billions in economic activity and secure the future of thoroughbred racing in New York State. Governor Hochul and both houses of the legislature recognize the importance of this transformational project to both Long Island and New York State, and that's exactly why the project was included in the FY2024 budget,” said NYRA's Vice President of Communications, Patrick McKenna.

The lawsuit was announced by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, though it was unclear what their connection to the lawsuit was.

“Organizations like PETA are philosophically opposed to horse racing and make no secret of their desire to end the sport. New Yorkers reject PETA's extreme agenda by attending, watching and wagering on horse racing in record numbers. As we look forward to the modernization of Belmont Park, and the opening of the summer meet at historic Saratoga Race Course on July 13, this ridiculous lawsuit is a meritless attack on a sport that supports New York families in every corner of the state.”

When the 2024 state budget was approved and publicly announced May 1, it greenlighted a decades-in-the-making plan to construct a revamped Belmont Park that would serve as the year-round downstate home of New York racing. The current 1.25-million square-foot structure, last renovated in 1968, is to be replaced with a roughly 275,000 square-foot facility featuring modern amenities and hospitality offerings.

“The transformation of Belmont Park will secure the future of Thoroughbred racing in New York State, create thousands of good jobs and drive tourism to Long Island and the region for decades to come,” said NYRA's president and chief executive officer, David O'Rourke, at the time the loan was included in the budget.

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Interactive Map Showcases Horse Racing’s Economic Impact Across New York

Edited Press Release

We Are NY Horse Racing, a coalition of small businesses, labor unions, non-profits, and trade associations aligned to amplify the sport of horse racing's importance to the New York State economy, has released an interactive map visualizing the scope of horse racing's statewide economic impact. In addition to New York's 11 Thoroughbred and harness tracks, this new map displays 249 farms and businesses connected to the sport of horse racing.

“This new map clearly shows that upstate and downstate, New York is horse racing country through and through,” said Jack Sterne, We Are NY Horse Racing spokesperson. “Horse racing is at the core of hundreds of businesses across the state and is responsible for the livelihoods of thousands of New York families. As we head into the final stretch of budget negotiations, this map will help lawmakers understand that supporting a new Belmont is supporting their constituents–no matter what district they represent.”

According to an independent economic analysis previously released by We Are NY Horse Racing, the project to modernize Belmont Park would generate $1 billion in one-time construction-related economic impact and create 3,700 construction jobs. After the new Belmont Park is built, it will produce $155 million in new annual recurring economic output, sustain 740 new full-time jobs, and generate $10 million in new state and local taxes per year.

“Horse racing supports businesses large and small across the Empire State–from the nearly 100 trainers at Belmont that each employ dozens of New Yorkers, to those who transport horses, to the businesses that supply our sport,” said Joseph Appelbaum, President of the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association. “As this map shows, building a new Belmont Park will boost local economies and help create good jobs in every corner of the state.”

The Belmont modernization project was included in Governor Kathy Hochul's Executive Budget Proposal as well as both the Senate and Assembly's One House budget resolutions.

“It's clear that the sport of horse racing is an economic force in New York State as strong as any Thoroughbred horse that races on our tracks,” said Najja Thompson, Executive Director of the New York Thoroughbred Breeders. “This sport sustains thousands of jobs for hardworking New Yorkers and a new Belmont Park would help keep New York's horse racing ecosystem strong and protect good jobs across the state.”

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Senate and Assembly One House Budgets Include Project to Build a New Belmont Park

Edited Press Release

As the final weeks of budget negotiations begin, both the Senate and Assembly majorities included the project to build a new Belmont Park in their “One House” budget resolutions. The project was also included in Governor Kathy Hochul's Executive Budget Proposal last month.

The Belmont modernization project's inclusion in the Senate and Assembly One House budget resolutions comes just one day after over 100 New Yorkers–including organized labor, family farmers, small business owners, backstretch workers, and more–joined legislators from both parties to rally in the State Capitol in support of the project.

“The construction of a new Belmont Park that will create thousands of jobs, generate billions in economic activity and secure the future of Thoroughbred racing in New York State at no cost to taxpayers. By supporting this transformational project, Governor Hochul, Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, Speaker Heastie, and our partners in the legislature are protecting the interests of thousands of hard-working New Yorkers on Long Island and across the state,” said Patrick McKenna, Vice President for Communications at the New York Racing Association, Inc.

“Supporting a new Belmont Park also means standing up for organized labor, protecting countless small businesses, and preserving family farms reliant on the statewide racing ecosystem. Horse racing means jobs and opportunities for thousands of New York families in every corner of the state. That's what a new Belmont Park is all about, and we'll continue working with leaders in Albany to get this project across the finish line.”

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