As the Belmont Stakes' (G1) three-year residency at Saratoga Race Course comes to an end, New York Racing Association CEO and president Dave O'Rourke has some thank-yous for the classic's temporary home.
"Having the Belmont here for three years was a cool anomaly in time," O'Rourke said. "It gave us the opportunity to bring the event to one of the greatest venues in horse racing. While the downstate community has been great, Saratoga is Saratoga. It's the Mecca of horse racing."
With Belmont Park set to reopen for the first time since 2023 on Sept. 18, the 159th edition of the Belmont Stakes will return home next year to a new, smaller but ultra-modern facility that will be a game-changer in terms of experiencing the race.
"We're looking forward to getting back on those tracks at Belmont and to open and show off the facility," O'Rourke said. "We're going to have a real good opportunity to do that in the fall and integrate our operations into it. I think you are going to see a lot of changes in terms of experiencing horse racing around New York City that will set up the next generation of fans."
Belmont Stakes day handle figures for this year are hard to assess for several reasons. Last year, there were only 12 races with the cancellation of some turf stakes due to wet conditions. This year, there were 14 races on the June 6 Belmont card, which generated an all-sources handle of $116,077,378 compared to $101.8 million in 2025.
The post time for the Belmont Stakes was also moved up by roughly eight minutes due to concerns that a heavy rainstorm was en route, which likely impacted wagering on the race. As it turned out, there was rain for only about five minutes, but O'Rourke said it was the correct move, even if there was a financial price tag.
"That was the right decision. It didn't pour like it could have, and it may have cost us some handle, but it was the right decision because the track was in perfect shape and the crowd and the energy was massive," he said.
In comparing the $125.7 million handle in 2024 to this year, it must also be noted that NYRA has instituted restrictions on Computer-Assisted Wagering programs that have leveled the betting playing field for customers but have reduced handle. As a result, this week at the Spa there were not any of the huge, CAW-sparked win odds drops after the starting gate opened that generated controversy during the earlier Triple Crown stops at Churchill Downs and Laurel Park.
"If we are going to use handle as a measuring stick of engagement, then it has to be organic. If we didn't put in any CAW restrictions and we didn't push to get the race in due to the weather, we could have done $130 million (on Belmont Stakes day)," he said. "I think the (CAW) guardrails are doing what they should in terms of volatility. We're seeing much less late odds drops. Pari-mutuel wagering is a game and everyone is welcome to play here. We're just trying to balance it out in terms of the volatility and speed at the end."
As for the Triple Crown itself, this year's Belmont Stakes winner Golden Tempo became the second straight Kentucky Derby (G1) winner who opted to skip the Preakness Stakes (G1) and targeted the Belmont due to the spacing between races.
That reignited debate about how current training methods with a focus on more time between races blend with the Triple Crown structure of two weeks between the Derby and Preakness and three weeks between the Preakness and Belmont, the third and final jewel in the series.
O'Rourke said he is in no hurry to change the traditional format.
"I'd say the interest in the Triple Crown was really strong at 7:01 p.m. Saturday," O'Rourke said, referring to the starting time for the Belmont Stakes. "I thought the energy of the Triple Crown this year was as good as it has ever been, and I think keeping a somewhat compact time period is essential to that. You are trying to maintain attention in a very busy sports calendar and we have our historic spot on that calendar. So, I think anything that anyone would want to discuss or look at, you have do it with a very prudent mindset because you are playing with the Holy Grail of horse racing in the United States."
