By Paul Post
World-class racing and top-flight entertainment are on tap, providing a significant economic boost when the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival returns to Saratoga for the third and final time.
The 158th edition of the historic Grade 1, $2 million Belmont Stakes highlights five days of racing from Wednesday, June 3, to Sunday, June 7.
But plenty of off-track fun is planned, too, as the band Fitz and the Tantrums headlines a free Belmont on Broadway concert with special guest Vertical Horizon, from 7 to 10 p.m. in downtown Saratoga Springs.
“Belmont on Broadway has really become the heartbeat of the week,” Discover Saratoga President Darryl Leggieri said. “It brings a critical mass of people downtown, creates energy for our businesses and showcases the very best of Saratoga Springs. It’s a perfect example of how tourism and community pride come together to create real economic impact. It also shows the world that Saratoga can deliver a world-class experience, and our community shows up in a big way to make it happen.”
Los Angeles-based Fitz and the Tantrums bring a vibrant, feel-good sound rooted in indie pop and neo-soul, known for high-energy, horn-heavy hits such as “MoneyGrabber,” “Out of My League” and “HandClap.” With dual lead vocals and a dynamic stage presence, they’ve become a staple on major festival circuits, delivering an upbeat, danceable experience that resonates with a wide audience.
Vertical Horizon, formed in Washington, D.C., is a multiplatinum alternative rock band known for its late-1990s and early-2000s hits, including the chart-topping “Everything You Want.” Blending alternative rock, pop rock and acoustic elements, its music has remained popular with fans who grew up with that era, while still delivering high-energy live performances today.
Beforehand, a new ticketed VIP show featuring comedian Chelsea Handler is planned for Universal Preservation Hall. She hosted the late-night talk show, “Chelsea Lately,” on the E! network from 2007 to 2014 and hosted the talk show, “Chelsea,” on Netflix from 2016 to 2017.
“Belmont Stakes Racing Festival generates tens of millions in economic impact while driving visitation during what is usually a nonracing timeframe,” Leggieri said. “What’s most exciting is how it’s evolved into a full destination experience filling hotels, supporting small businesses, and introducing Saratoga to new audiences that we can convert into future visitors.”
Twenty-five stakes races worth $11.075 million are planned during the Racing Festival, including 10 Grade 1 races among 18 graded stakes.
“It’s a huge economic win, not only for Saratoga Springs and Saratoga County, but the entire Capital Region,” said Greg Connors, Saratoga Economic Development Corporation president. “At an estimated $9 million impact per day, when applied to this year’s 51 days of racing, the economic impact will be close to one-half billion dollars in just a short 90-day period.”
The Belmont Stakes is being held in Saratoga for a third straight year as work continues on a new, reimagined Belmont Park that’s scheduled to reopen Sept. 18 on Long Island.
Saratoga will host a 46-day summer meet this year, starting with the July 4 Racing Festival from Friday, July 3, to Sunday, July 5. The Spa Oval will then host a series of four-day racing weeks, Thursday to Sunday, from Thursday, July 9, to Sunday, July 26, prior to the resumption of a five-day racing week beginning Wednesday, July 29.
“The racing festivals are not only an almost three-month opportunity to support the hospitality and tourism industry, but it also, for the third year in a row, introduces Saratoga County to an international audience,” Connors said. “For those visitors who read, watch, listen or visit during the racing festivals, their interest in making their next capital economic investment is a tangible byproduct of what Saratoga Springs, Saratoga County and the Capital Region can offer as a result of the Belmont Racing Festival and NYRA’s annual world-class thoroughbred racing.”
The summer meet will conclude with a six-day week from Wednesday, Sept. 2, through Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7.
Next year, Belmont Park will once again host the Belmont Stakes and July 4 Racing Festivals, while Saratoga Race Course reverts to its traditional 40-day summer meet.
“In June 2024 and 2025, we saw annual increases in sales tax collections at the county and city level as well as increases in revenue per available room at lodging facilities,” said Todd Shimkus, Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce president. “Hotel leaders are already chatting with us about how to replace this business in June 2027, which tells the economic value of having been able to host the Belmont Stakes Festival at Saratoga for these three years.”
“Beyond this, our community has seen extraordinary coverage not just of Saratoga Race Course, but of the many amenities that make Saratoga a great place to visit,” he said. “Our community has been promoted around the world as a place that all fans of horse racing must visit, and my expectation is that this will help us expand visitation for years to come.”
The New York Racing Association is raising purse levels nearly 14% blended across all categories during the Belmont Festival and throughout the summer meet.
Belmont Festival’s opening day is dedicated to New York-breds. The special New York Showcase Day program will offer six $200,000 events exclusively for horses foaled in the Empire State, including the Mike Lee, the Bouwerie, the Commentator, the Critical Eye, the Kingston and the Mount Vernon.
NYRA’s commitment to elevating the state-bred program is reflected in major purse increases for races restricted to New York-breds. These new purse levels will take effect beginning with the Belmont Festival and continuing through the summer meet, when maiden special weights will be run for $100,000, first-level allowance races for $105,000 and second-level allowance races for $110,000.
In addition, New York-bred, 2-year-old maiden special weight races will be run for $115,000.
The Belmont Stakes is one of six Grade 1 races planned for Saturday, June 6. It will be contested again at 1 1/4 miles rather than the traditional 1 1/2 miles due to the configuration of Saratoga’s main track.
The day’s program also includes the Grade 1, $1 million Hill ‘n’ Dale Metropolitan Handicap; the Grade 1, $1 million Resorts World Casino Manhattan; the Grade 1, $500,000 Jaipur; the Grade 1, $500,000 Woody Stephens presented by Mohegan Sun; the Grade 1, $500,000 Just a Game presented by Resolute Racing; and the Grade 3, $400,000 True North.
Tickets for the Belmont Festival may be purchased online at BelmontStakes.com.
The festival not only features a full lineup of exciting racing action, but also fun events at the track in addition to the Belmont on Broadway concert downtown.
“Belmont Toast the Turn,” for fans 21 and older, is an immersive, up-close racing experience with a capacity of up to 200 guests per day. The tented hospitality area along the clubhouse provides fans with a premium vantage point of horses rounding the first turn.
Each ticket will include general admission to the track, admission to “Belmont Toast the Turn” and two alcoholic beverages (must be 21 and older), with additional drinks available for purchase throughout the day. Food trucks offering a variety of menu items will also be available.
Limited tickets for “Belmont Toast the Turn” are available for $150 on Friday, June 5, and for $250 on Belmont Stakes Day, Saturday, June 6. Tickets may be purchased at gofevo.com/group/BSRFtoastturnG.
The 46-day summer meet will offer 20 Grade 1 races among 73 stakes worth more than $23.575 million in total purses. Highlights are the 157th renewal of the Grade 1, $1.25 million DraftKings Travers on Aug. 29 and the 99th edition of the Grade 1, $1 million Whitney on Aug. 8.
The first 2026 Saratoga condition book will be released in June.
“Each summer, Saratoga Race Course stands at the center of the racing world,” said David O’Rourke, New York Racing Association president and CEO. “The 2026 season will be particularly special as we celebrate the final Saratoga edition of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival and honor America’s 250th anniversary at one of the country’s most historic sporting venues.”