New $555 million Belmont Park opens with smaller grandstand and four new tracks

New York has reopened Belmont Park after a $555 million, three-year reconstruction that turned the historic Long Island racetrack into a modern sports and entertainment destination. The new five-story grandstand is about one-fifth the size of the old structure, freeing up space for green areas and public access to the infield, while four brand new racing surfaces will allow year-round racing at Belmont for the first time. Governor Kathy Hochul cut the ribbon on September 18, 2026, welcoming fans back to a venue that will host the return of the Belmont Stakes and the 2027 Breeders' Cup, according to the governor's office and local media coverage.A smaller grandstand with a bigger experienceThe most visible change at Belmont Park is the grandstand. The original building, which opened in the mid-20th century, had grown dated and inefficient, with vast interior spaces that were expensive to maintain and often underused. The new structure, designed by sports architecture firm Populous, covers roughly 300,000 square feet across five stories, down from about 1.25 million to 1.5 million square feet in the past. That reduction was intentional, aimed at creating a more intimate, fan-focused ...