Why Is the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga in 2026?

The 158th running of the Belmont Stakes is coming up Saturday, June 6. The project to rebuild Belmont Park is still going on, so for the third year in a row, the Belmont Stakes will be contested at Saratoga Race Course. This is expected to be the final edition of the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga. The renewed Belmont Park is expected to open in the fall of 2026, and the Belmont Stakes will return to its traditional home for 2027.

As with the two previous editions of the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga, the distance will be shorter than its traditional 1 ½ miles. Racing that distance at Saratoga would require putting the starting gate on the turn, which would unfairly disadvantage outside post positions. So, the race covers only 1 ¼ miles – the same distance as the Kentucky Derby – when it is contested at Saratoga.

Even with the location change, though, Belmont Stakes day is still the featured event of one of the best weekends of racing in the world. The Belmont Stakes Racing Festival was extended to five days in 2025, and it remains a five-day event this year: Wednesday, June 3, through Saturday, June 7. Then, racing will return to Aqueduct for the last time, finishing out the spring meet before racing goes back upstate to Saratoga starting July 3.

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Belmont Park Renovation

In March of 2024, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the timeline for the current renovation project. The $455 million project is being funded by a loan from the state of New York to the NYRA, approved in the budget for the 2024 fiscal year.

Alongside the timeline, the NYRA unveiled plans for what the grandstand is expected to look like when the project is finished. The new grandstand will feature a smaller footprint, 275,000 square feet, instead of 1.25 million square feet of the old one. The smaller building will feature the amenities of a modern horse racing grandstand, while also opening up significantly more green space for people to enjoy on race days.

Demolition of the grandstand began the next month, with construction of the new one underway in 2025 and continuing into 2026. NYRA had originally planned to run the Belmont at the new Belmont Park in June 2026, even though the grandstand would not be finished until September. However, in 2025, NYRA decided to run the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga one more year, in 2026. Belmont Park is still expected to reopen in September 2026, with the Belmont Stakes returning there in 2027 and the Breeders’ Cup scheduled to happen there in October 2027.

Why Is the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course?

During the massive renovation of Belmont Park, most of the thoroughbred racing that would otherwise happen there has been conducted at Aqueduct in Queens, under a meet called Belmont at the Big A. The New York Racing Association has decided to put a special touch on the third leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown: instead of keeping it at Aqueduct, it will happen at Saratoga Race Course.

This is not the first time fans have seen the final race of horse racing’s Triple Crown shifting to another track due to construction. Between 1963 and 1967, the Belmont Stakes was contested at Aqueduct during a previous grandstand rebuilding project. However, the three-year stint at Saratoga is the race’s first time out of the New York City metropolitan area.

Change in Distance

The Belmont Stakes will be held at Saratoga Race Course three weeks after the Preakness, its usual place on the racing calendar. The biggest difference in the third Triple Crown event, other than the location, will be the change in distance of the Belmont Stakes. The Saratoga editions of the Belmont Stakes are contested at 1 ¼ miles, the same distance as the Kentucky Derby.

The change in distance will not be the first in the race's history. It has been run at distances ranging from 1 ⅛ miles to 1 ⅝ miles. However, its traditional distance is 1 ½ miles. The race has covered that distance from 1874-89 as well as from 1926 through 2023, except for 2020 when it was run at 1 ⅛ miles due to the COVID-era racing schedule changes.

The dirt track at Saratoga cannot handle a race at 1 ½ miles, however. To run that distance, the starting gate would have to be put on the turn. So, the final jewel of the Triple Crown is run at 1 ¼ miles at Saratoga, the same distance as the Derby. That is the distance at which Dornoch and Sovereignty won the Belmont in 2024 and 2025, and the distance that Golden Tempo, Renegade, and all who face them will run in 2026.

Belmont Stakes Racing Festival

Due to the Saratoga track’s differing size, the 2026 Belmont Stakes is not the only race that will have to change distance or configuration while the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival visits Saratoga Springs. For example, one-mile dirt races like the Met Mile (G1) and the Acorn (G1) will be run out of the mile chute instead of at a true one-turn mile, as they are at Belmont Park. Some of the turf races will change distance as well. The Manhattan (G1) will shorten to 1 3/16 miles instead of 1 ¼, and the Jaipur (G1) will cover 5 ½ furlongs on the turf instead of a flat six.

Even with the changes in distance, however, the purses remain strong, and the prestige of the meet is enough to draw many of the best horses to compete at Saratoga Race Course. With that being the case, and the courses and distances remaining similar, the American Graded Stakes Committee is treating the Belmont Stakes and all of the other races at the festival as continuations of the races at Belmont Park. Thus, the races have kept their grades during this visit to the Spa.

Frequently Asked Questions: 2026 Belmont Stakes

Who is the morning line favorite for the 2026 Belmont Stakes?

Renegade, trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., is the 2-1 morning line favorite for the 2026 Belmont Stakes. Renegade draws from post position 4 in the 9-horse field. Chief Wallabee, also trained by a top conditioner and ridden by Junior Alvarado out of post 3, is the second choice at 3-1, followed by Golden Tempo at 9-2. You can bet on the Belmont Stakes morning line favorite and the full field at FanDuel Racing.

When and where is the 2026 Belmont Stakes and what time is post time?

The 158th running of the Belmont Stakes takes place on Saturday, June 6, 2026, at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Post time for The Test of the Champion is 7:04 p.m. ET. This is the third and final year the race will be held at Saratoga while Belmont Park undergoes a full reconstruction project. The race is contested at 1¼ miles due to the configuration of Saratoga's main track, shorter than the traditional 1½-mile distance at Belmont Park. The Belmont Stakes will return to a newly reimagined Belmont Park beginning in 2027. New FanDuel Racing users can place their first bet of $10 and get $50 back in Racing Bonus ahead of race day.

How can I bet on the 2026 Belmont Stakes and are there any promotions available?

You can bet on the 2026 Belmont Stakes winner and all associated wagering markets at FanDuel Racing. Belmont Stakes odds are available across win, place, show, exacta, trifecta, and superfecta markets. New FanDuel Racing users can take advantage of a promotional offer where you place your first bet of $10 on any race at any track and receive $50 back in Racing Bonus. Additional 2026 Belmont Stakes promos are available on FanDuel Racing. The full morning line odds for all 9 horses, including the 2-1 favorite Renegade and longshots Vitruvian Man at 30-1 and Ottinho at 20-1 — are listed above. Stay updated on live Belmont Stakes odds (fanduel.com/belmont-stakes-odds) as they shift ahead of the Saturday, June 6 post time.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.