The 156th Belmont Stakes runs at Saratoga Race Course for the first time (2024)

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — If you didn’t know the Belmont Stakes was running at the Saratoga Race Course this weekend, you might be the only one.

Not only had the city and Saratogians themselves been counting down the days till this historic race ran at the oldest thoroughbred race track in the U.S. but people from all over the country were waiting outside the gates anxiously awaiting their chance to snag a picnic table, get a fascinator or just be at Saratoga on Belmont Stakes Day.

Sandy Sullivan lives 2.2 miles from the race course and shared she had the responsibility of securing the picnic tables for her group as the gates opened.

“I have 24 people who deeply care about this, so I rode my bike here, I laid myself across these two tables and I am staying,” Sullivan said. “My daughter also got married yesterday and we got the wedding done on Belmont weekend. That’s something.”

When asked why she thought the event had such a pull, Sullivan quickly came up with an answer.

“It’s the town; it’s only going to happen once or twice, and it’s the betting. Everything just gets escalated,” she said. “(The town is) 100% prepared. This town lives for vibes I think, it’s the vibe of the races for Saratoga and it’s the vibe of this and asking ‘How can we support this.’”

People began lining up well before the gates opened at 9 a.m. Saturday morning, with many rushing off to grab favorite spots and picnic tables to stake their claims for the day.

Sarah Blair shared that while she and her group normally sit inside, on Saturday they opted to grab a picnic table to embrace everything Belmont has to offer. Making the trip from Boston, Massachusetts, Blair said the journey was worth it to be at Saratoga for the Belmont.

“We love coming to Saratoga; we love coming to the races, so it worked out perfectly that it was here,” Blair said.

People came from all over to take part in this historic event, some all the way from Pinellas Park, Florida, like Bob Marino, who said he’s been making the trip to Saratoga every year since 1996. While Saturday wasn’t his first Belmont, Marino said Saratoga was the perfect place to hold it.

“Been to 10 (Kentucky) Derbys and about the same number of Preakness (Stakes) races,” Marino explained. “Been to The Belmont most often, probably only missed three or four of them since 1980.

“It was a no-brainer coming here for this. The racing, the fans, the atmosphere — this is the best track I’ve ever been to, including Churchill Downs.”

However, not all were completely dazzled by the prospects of having what is commonly considered the toughest race of the Triple Crown. Self-titled cynic Dave Oppedisano, of Latham, shared he struggled to regard the race at its usual caliber with the adjustments made this year.

“I cringe when I hear the Belmont being called the ‘Test of Champions’ here (at Saratoga) this year,” Oppedisano said. “The Belmont is supposed to be 1 1/2 miles and it’s 1 1/4 miles here. There’s nothing you can do about that, but it just makes me cringe.

“Right now, it seems like a regular Saratoga meet. Kind of like the feeling before The Travers or The Whitney.”

Others were delighted the Spa City is hosting the Belmont Racing Festival. Chip Cowles from Ravena shared that he views this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and couldn’t miss it.

“I knew I had to be here for the Belmont Stakes,” Cowles said. “This is only the second time I’ve ever been to the track — I’ll learn to read this (racing) program and hopefully win a little money.”

“As soon as we heard the Belmont was coming here, we bought our tickets,” said Schenectady resident and Brooklyn native Rachel Anderson. “We never went to the Belmont when it was downstate, so we definitely wanted to see it here.”

The Belmont Stakes, the 12th race of the 14-race card, carried a multi-million-dollar purse for the top eight horses of the race. First place took home $1.2 million from the $2 million purse, second took $360,000, with amounts decreasing substantially until bottoming out with seventh and eighth taking $20,000.

Many trackgoers threw their hats in the ring to try and take some money home for themselves, some hoping Belmont favorites — like morning-line favorite Sierra Leone or Kentucky Derby champion Mystik Dan — would prevail while others planned on backing longshots.

“This is Saratoga, the ‘Graveyard of Champions,’” Nicole Albertson from East Greenbush pointed out. “You have to take the long shot.”

Whether they are coming to the track to watch some high-class racing, attempt to win some money, or even just be a part of the legacy that is the Belmont Stakes running at the Saratoga Race Course for the first time, this weekend is one for the history books.

MediaNews Group Senior Editor Ron Rosner contributed to this report.