Belmont Stakes at Saratoga: Fans should expect Saratoga excitement at Belmont prices and protocols

That means would-be Belmont-at-Saratoga fans should expect Saratoga excitement at Belmont Stakes prices.

While pricing for the various ticket and seating options hasn’t been released yet, it won’t be cheap, relative to comparable Saratoga prices.

And by following Belmont protocols, you can expect paid admission to be limited to 50,000. That’s the number NYRA implemented two years ago, when the New York Islanders’ home rink, UBS Arena, took over half of the backyard. It’s also the admission cap for Whitney Day and Travers Day at Saratoga.

Pat McKenna, NYRA vice president, communications, said in an email that the majority of seating options will be four-day packages covering the duration of the “Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course” from June 6-9. So, for the most part, you won’t be able to get single-day seating.

Also, early access to tickets will be provided to seasonal box holders from both Belmont Park and Saratoga, as well as Saratoga reserved season ticket holders and past Belmont Stakes buyers.

Unlike an average day during the summer meet at Saratoga, the various hospitality areas will be offered as inclusive of food and beverage. Unlike Belmont Park, Saratoga has added a variety of “premium” seating sections in the last five years, like the 1863 Club and the Paddock Suites, so there is a wider range of options. They’ll command a corresponding wide range of pricing.

“NYRA is thrilled to be able to host the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course for the first time,” McKenna said. “While it is sure to be as exciting as any weekend in the history of the venue, fans should expect significant changes from an afternoon at the Spa during the summer meet.”

One of those changes could be Saratoga’s carry-in cooler policy. NYRA hasn’t announced yet whether fans will be allowed to bring in their own food and beverages. It’s worth noting that they don’t allow outside alcohol on Belmont Day.

As a measure of the substantial change in scope we’re talking about here, from a betting handle standpoint, Belmont Stakes Day on June 10 generated $118,283,455 in wagers from all sources, on-track and off. That’s a Belmont Day record for a year in which a Triple Crown was not on the line.

On that day, the Belmont Stakes alone pulled in $56,533,820.

That’s from one race. The entire 13-race card on Travers Day in 2022 generated record betting handle, and it was still just shy of $1 million less than the amount bet on Arcangelo’s victory in this year’s Belmont.

So … yeah. It’s going to get big, and bigger, around here in June.