NYRA announces 2026 schedule for Saratoga Race Course

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) today announced that historic Saratoga Race Course will host 51 days of world-class thoroughbred racing in 2026, highlighted by the five-day Belmont Stakes Festival at Saratoga and a 46-day summer meet that will include the July 4th Racing Festival, which was held at Saratoga for the first time in 2025.
 
“Each summer, Saratoga Race Course stands at the center of the racing world,” said David O’Rourke, NYRA President & 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. While Saratoga has served as the ideal temporary host for the Belmont Stakes and July 4th festivals, we look forward to returning to the traditional 40-day summer racing schedule at Saratoga in 2027.”
 
To allow for the uninterrupted construction of a new and re-imagined Belmont Park, Saratoga will host the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival for the third and final time from Wednesday, June 3, through Sunday, June 7. It will be highlighted by the 158th running of the Grade 1, $2 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets on Saturday, June 6.
 
Following the conclusion of the Belmont at the Big A spring/summer meet, the NYRA circuit will return to Saratoga for a 46-day summer meet to open with the July 4th Racing Festival from Friday, July 3, through Sunday, July 5.
 
To accommodate the 2026 calendar, Saratoga will then host a series of four-day racing weeks, Thursday through Sunday, from Thursday, July 9, through Sunday, July 26, prior to the resumption of the five-day racing week beginning Wednesday, July 29. The 2026 summer meet will conclude with a six-day closing week from Wednesday, September 2, through Labor Day, Monday, September 7.
 
With the new Belmont Park to re-open in September for live racing, 2026 will mark the final year of adjustments to the customary racing schedule at Saratoga. This period of transition began in 2024 when NYRA held a four-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival in Saratoga for the first time. In 2025, NYRA expanded the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival to five days and shifted the July 4th Racing Festival to the Spa, resulting in 49 days of live racing during the 2025 season.
 
In 2027, Belmont Park will once again host the Belmont Stakes and July 4th Racing Festivals, while Saratoga Race Course will revert to its traditional 40-day summer meet.
 
“We are excited to have one more opportunity to showcase our amazing community to the world by hosting the Belmont Stakes and July 4th Festivals,” said Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce President Todd Shimkus. “To kick off the Belmont Festival, we will again host a Belmont on Broadway concert free for locals and visitors to our community, and the July 4th All American Celebration to add to the festivities at the track. These two festivals helped drive up revenue at local hotels, restaurants, bars, stores and shops throughout the area, in 2025, and the same will be true as our historic run hosting these events concludes in 2026.”
 
Belmont Park will re-open for live racing in September 2026. In addition to the return of the Belmont Stakes to its Long Island home in 2027, Belmont Park has been selected to host the 2027 Breeders’ Cup World Championships in October 2027, which will mark the first edition of the Breeders’ Cup to be held in New York State since 2005. 
 
For additional information on the new Belmont Park, including hospitality offerings and architectural renderings, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/.

For the 2026 calendar of live race dates, which is pending New York State Gaming Commission approval, visit https://www.nyra.com/inc/schedule/.