SARATOGA SPRINGS — Based on response to news that the Belmont Stakes will be held at Saratoga Race Course this year, it’s likely that tickets for the event won’t last long when they become available to the general public this week.
After a pre-sale availability on Tuesday and Wednesday for patrons who are signed up for it and are eligible, tickets for the June 6-9 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival go on sale at 10 a.m. on Thursday via BelmontStakes.com/tickets.
Advance pre-sale opportunities are available by signing up at BelmontStakes.com/pre-sale.
New York Racing Association vice president for communications Pat McKenna said over 36,000 fans have already registered for the various pre-sale options since Jan. 25. Fans who have signed up for pre-sale should visit ticketmaster.com at the specified times.
Belmont Stakes Racing Festival ticket orders cannot be placed via phone.
“The unprecedented interest and enthusiasm for the 2024 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival reflects the enduring appeal of historic Saratoga Race Course and the popularity of the Triple Crown,” McKenna said in an email. “This event has captured the imagination of both longtime fans and first-time visitors to Saratoga, which has generated incredibly strong ticket demand.”
Ticket inventory for the hospitality offerings, which include the 1863 Club, restaurant seating, box seats and the Stretch will be “extremely limited,” he said, when ticketing opens to the general public.
Ticketing will be capped at 50,000 for each day of the racing festival, as it is at Belmont Park and Saratoga for days when big crowds are likely to show up.
Paid admission was over 43,000 for Whitney Day and over 48,000 for Travers Day at Saratoga last summer.
Saratoga Race Course can accommodate 35,000 general admissions per day. As is the case throughout the summer meet, general admission tickets will provide fans with access to the backyard, picnic tables and apron.
While supplies last, a four-day general admission pass will be available for $90, and single-day general admission will be priced at $10 on both Thursday, June 6, and Sunday, June 9, which is the standard walk-up GA price during the Saratoga summer meet; $30 on Friday, June 7; and $50 on Belmont Stakes Day, Saturday, June 8, which is unchanged from the 2023 Belmont Stakes Day general admission price at Belmont Park.
Admission for children ages 4 to 12 will be $20 on Belmont Stakes Day and $10 on Friday, June 7. Admission is free for children 12 and under on Thursday and Sunday of the festival.
NYRA has provided seasonal box holders from both Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course, as well as Saratoga reserved seat season ticket holders, with the opportunity to purchase those seats in advance of the on-sale.
Roughly 90% of those customers have secured reserved seats for the duration of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, which will reduce the number of reserved seats available through the on-sale.
“Saratoga Race Course features a very limited number of reserved seats when compared with Belmont Park and other venues. As a result, reserved seats and hospitality options will be extremely limited during this week’s on-sale,” McKenna said.
The Belmont Stakes will be held at Saratoga for the first time ever this year because of ongoing construction and renovation of Belmont Park in Nassau County.
Highlighted by the 156th Belmont Stakes, the racing festival will offer 23 stakes races for total combined purses of $10.1 million. The Belmont itself carries a purse of $2 million, up from $1.5 million in recent years.
“The 2024 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will be a four-day celebration of world class thoroughbred racing at the sport’s most historic and exciting venue,” NYRA President & CEO David O’Rourke said in a release in January. “NYRA is thrilled to be able to host a Triple Crown event at Saratoga Race Course, and we look forward to presenting a memorable edition of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival from June 6-9.”