On the day the rebuilt Belmont Park reopened, a longtime visitor walking the grounds asked a simple question, as reported by the Elmont Herald. Would people still be allowed to enjoy the "backyard," the way they did at the old Belmont?
NYRA's ticket page answers it. General admission is $7 in advance or $10 at the gate, and it covers the backyard, its picnic tables, the paddock rail, the apron and the whole ground floor of the new grandstand. The next question matters more for anyone living near Hempstead Turnpike. Starting this winter, that backyard stays open in months when it used to go quiet.
When Governor Hochul cut the ribbon on September 18, her office described four new racing surfaces that allow "year-round racing for the first time in the history of this iconic track." Aqueduct ran its last live race on Sunday, June 28, 2026. The cold-weather racing that used to happen in Ozone Park now happens in Elmont. For Nassau, Belmont is turning into a track you can visit from Thanksgiving weekend through the middle of March.
What Ten Dollars Covers on the Ground Floor
The new five-story grandstand covers about 300,000 square feet and was designed by Populous with NYRA. General admission gets you to the parts of it most people use on a normal race day. NYRA says the ground floor has four bars and restaurants plus concession stands, with no reservation or cover charge. On most race days, GA guests can also take the second-floor Grandstand Reserved Seats on a first-come, first-served basis.
The governor's opening-day release named the bars and restaurants that opened with the building: Big Red's, Homestretch Market, Silks and the Trackside Lounge. It also named three premium dining and hospitality areas: the Turf Club Restaurant and Lounge, The Overlook and The Stretch View.
A few house rules are useful to know before you pack a bag:
- You can bring your own food and a factory-sealed, non-alcoholic drink in a permitted bag. Glass, coolers and outside alcohol are not allowed.
- On a typical race day, doors open two hours before the first race.
- Tickets and parking passes are mobile.
According to the state, pedestrian tunnels from the grandstand to the infield create nearly five times more green space "for fans and the local community."
The Building Is Running at Partial Capacity
Opening day on September 18 was a sold-out crowd of 6,000. NYRA is still fitting out the third through fifth floors of the grandstand, which the state expects to fully open in the first quarter of 2027. Once every interior floor is finished, grandstand capacity rises to about 10,000. For the Belmont Stakes and other major events, the complex is planned to hold at least 50,000.
Both big events come in 2027. The Belmont Stakes comes back to Elmont in 2027 after three years at Saratoga, and Belmont hosts the 2027 Breeders' Cup World Championships, the first in New York since 2005. That leaves this winter as the quieter run-up, with a smaller building and a $10 gate, before the track takes on its two biggest national dates.
Thanksgiving Weekend Through Cigar Mile Day
The 46-day Fall Meet runs September 18 through December 6, generally with live racing Thursday through Sunday. The last three weekends carry the season's heaviest stakes cards:
Date | Stakes on the card | Top purse |
|---|---|---|
Sat., Nov. 21 | Pebbles, Autumn Days | $200,000 |
Sun., Nov. 22 | Manila, NYSSS Thunder Rumble, NYSSS Staten Island | $200,000 |
Fri., Nov. 27 | Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship, Chelsey Flower, Noble Damsel | $175,000 |
Sat., Nov. 28 | Jockey Club Derby, Jockey Club Oaks, Man o' War, Long Island, NYSSS Fifth Avenue, NYSSS Great White Way | $500,000 |
Sun., Nov. 29 | Central Park, Lure | $175,000 |
Sat., Dec. 5 | Cigar Mile, Brooklyn, Demoiselle, Elite Power, Remsen | $500,000 |
Sun., Dec. 6 | Comely, Garland of Roses, Go For Wand | $200,000 |
The day after Thanksgiving features a race named the Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship, now run on a Belmont turf course. That Saturday has three $500,000 turf races on one card: the Jockey Club Derby, the Jockey Club Oaks and the 68th Man o' War. It also has the 70th running of the Long Island.
Cigar Mile Day, December 5, is the last big Saturday of the fall. The $500,000 Cigar Mile runs a mile on dirt in its 38th edition. The Brooklyn, a 1 1/2-mile dirt race, runs for the 136th time, this year in Nassau. The Demoiselle and the Remsen, for 2-year-olds, are on their 105th and 113th runnings. The Fall Meet ends the next day with the Comely, Garland of Roses and Go For Wand.
Three Days Off, Then Racing on Tapeta
There is no live racing from December 7 through December 9. On Thursday, December 10, NYRA opens the first winter meet ever held at Belmont Park. All winter racing runs on the one-mile Tapeta oval, a synthetic surface that also lets horses stabled on the grounds train year-round. The meet carries 28 stakes races worth nearly $5.7 million in total purses and runs into March. NYRA will announce the exact closing date along with its 2027 race dates.
The new surface has already changed some familiar races:
- Saturday, December 19. The Say Florida Sandy for New York-breds and the Broadway for state-bred fillies and mares each carry $150,000 purses and now run at six furlongs instead of seven.
- Saturday, December 26. The Grade 2, $250,000 Red Smith moves from turf to Tapeta and shortens from 11 furlongs to 1 3/16 miles. The same card has four $200,000 Empire Trillium Series races for 2-year-olds: the Tiz the Law, Bar of Gold, Gander and Saratoga Dew.
- Friday, January 1. The $150,000 Ladies is the first local stakes of 2027.
Later in the winter, the Saturday, February 27 card includes two $200,000 Empire Trillium races with local names: the Elmont, for 3-year-olds, and the Queens Village, for 3-year-old fillies. The stakes schedule ends with the Ruthless on Saturday, March 13 and the Jimmy Winkfield on Sunday, March 14.
The Old Winter Track Is Now a Planning Project
Aqueduct kept simulcasting through September 7, after its final live race in June. As the Queens Eagle reported, the roughly 100-acre site is now in a state-led community planning process. Proposed uses include housing, retail, open space, schools and community facilities, and a master plan is expected in early 2027. Resorts World, which already sits on part of the larger site, continues to operate as a casino.
Neighbors of the Belmont property have been part of the planning. Newsday reported that the Belmont Park Local Advisory Board, created by state law in 2020, included leaders from Elmont, South Floral Park, Floral Park and Queens. NYRA said it held nine board meetings and 47 more meetings with over 2,000 residents in the two years before the reopening. The same Newsday story visited Tack Room Products, Peter Daly's horse-equipment shop on Hempstead Turnpike across from the stables. Daly said he expected Belmont's return to help his business.
The Nights Belmont and UBS Arena Share
Belmont and UBS Arena share a property and a train station. Several of the coming weeks' biggest race days line up with arena events, based on the schedules UBS Arena posted for November and December:
- Friday, November 27. The Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship card at the track, and the Islanders host Winnipeg.
- Saturday, November 28. The Jockey Club Derby card at the track, and Los Tigres del Norte at the arena.
- Thursday, December 10. The winter meet opens, and the Islanders host Calgary.
- Saturday, December 19. The Say Florida Sandy and Broadway at the track, and the Jonas Brothers at the arena.
The arena's December schedule also lists the Rangers on December 20 and the Empire State Holiday Invitational on December 28 and 29.
The MTA says the LIRR's Elmont-UBS Arena station gets 90 trains each weekday and 159 each weekend day, and NYRA runs a race-day shuttle from the station. If you're driving, NYRA recommends booking parking ahead and following the lot instructions on your pass. Gold and Silver lots use a different Cross Island Parkway exit than the Emerald lot. Event calendars can change, so check NYRA's Belmont calendar and the arena's listings the week you plan to go.
Our team at The Legacy Team follows the changes in our Nassau communities closely, from new businesses to the rebuilt track on Hempstead Turnpike. If you live near Elmont, Floral Park or Franklin Square and want to talk about what year-round racing at Belmont means for your block, schedule a free consultation with us.
