Belmont Park came back to life and opened a new era for New York racing
After three years of construction, the historic Long Island venue reopened its doors with fully renovated facilities and four new tracks; Forever Young won the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) on a day that set the stage for the return of the Belmont Stakes and the 2027 Breeders’ Cup
ELMONT, New York (Special for Turf Diario).— Three years later, horses were galloping back at Belmont Park. But the setting that welcomed them this Friday is no longer the one that closed its doors to begin a long-awaited transformation. The historic Long Island racetrack officially opened a new chapter with fully renovated facilities and a project designed to profoundly alter the structure of New York racing.
The reopening was celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony led by New York Governor Kathy Hochul, alongside officials from the New York Racing Association (NYRA) and special guests.
A crowd of 6,000 people—the maximum allowed capacity during this first weekend—sold out the available tickets to be part of a day three years in the making.
“It’s an extraordinary moment for racing fans from all over the world returning to Belmont Park for the first time in three years,” Hochul noted.
The governor highlighted the new amenities for the public, expanded green spaces, and, in particular, the four brand-new racing surfaces.
The project will allow Belmont to once again host its iconic event, the Belmont Stakes (G1), and serve as host for the Breeders’ Cup in 2027, as well as becoming a venue for year-round racing—something that had never occurred in the track’s history.
“Today marks the start of an exciting new era for Belmont Park,” summarized David O’Rourke, President and CEO of NYRA.
Lisa Joy Earns Her Place in History
At 1:30 PM, the moment everyone had been waiting for arrived. The first race at the new Belmont Park was a maiden special weight for fillies and mares over 2000 meters on the inner turf, and Lisa Joy had the privilege of becoming its inaugural winner.
Bred in Great Britain by her owner Andrew Rosen, she was sent out by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey and ridden by Antonio Fresu.
For McGaughey, one of the trainers identified for decades with the New York circuit and winner of the 1989 Belmont Stakes with the unforgettable Easy Goer (Alydar), the return held special meaning.
“I think it’s a beautiful place,” he said. “When everything settles in, it’s going to be really special. I’m very excited. The main track is in great shape, and I also really like the turf.”
Fresu, who had never ridden at Belmont before, did not hide his enthusiasm either. “It’s an incredible feeling to be part of this historic racetrack and its reopening. The track is fantastic, the grandstand looks fantastic, and so do all the facilities. This is first-class.”
McGaughey did not take long to celebrate again. In the second race, he presented Davidson (American Pharoah), who broke his maiden under Manny Franco to complete an early double for the trainer.
Tom Morley also won two races, while Ricardo Santana Jr. capped off the day with three victories.
A Belmont Still Under Construction
The reopening does not mean the massive project is complete. The third, fourth, and fifth floors of the new structure remain under construction, with completion scheduled for the first quarter of 2027. For that reason, Belmont operated with capacity capped at 6,000 spectators during opening weekend and will shift to accommodating up to 4,000 people starting September 24.
Once fully finished, the complex will look vastly different from the one that defined Belmont Park’s image for decades.
The transformation aims not only to modernize amenities for owners, horsemen, and fans, but also to consolidate year-round New York racing at the venue.
The celebration also featured a performance by Dierks Bentley from the west end of the new grandstand as part of a special FOX broadcast covering Belmont’s return.
All ticket revenue from the day was donated to the NYRA Foundation, an initiative created to support non-profit organizations, service providers, thoroughbred retirement and care programs, and other entities linked to New York State racing.
A Champion for the Premiere
If Belmont needed an international star to put its stamp on the return, it could hardly have chosen better.
The first stakes race held over the renovated main track was the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1), and it ended in the hands of Forever Young (Real Steel).
The Japanese champion, ridden by Ryusei Sakai and trained by Yoshito Yahagi for Susumu Fujita, dominated by 3 1/4 lengths to score his fifth international G1 victory, boosting his earnings past $32,300,000.
“We are truly happy to have won the Jockey Club Gold Cup on reopening day. It will be a special memory for us,” Yahagi emphasized.
The statement perfectly captured a day in which every result carried an inevitable sense of history.
Forever Young was the first stakes winner on the new surface. Lisa Joy had been, just hours earlier, the first to cross the wire after three years of waiting for horses to return.
Belmont Park returned different, modern, and with much of its future still to be unveiled. The Belmont Stakes will return, the Breeders’ Cup will arrive in 2027, and for the first time, there will be year-round racing. Friday saw only nine races run, but after three years of silence, they were enough to make one thing clear: one of global racing's true temples is alive once again.
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