NYRA sets 2026 schedule; Aqueduct closes, Belmont opens in fall

Aqueduct Racetrack will close June 28 and the new Belmont Park will open Sept. 18 as part of a 196-day 2026 racing schedule announced Thursday by the New York Racing Association.

Saratoga will host 51 days of racing in 2026, highlighted by the five-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival and a 46-day summer meet that will include the July 4th Racing Festival.

NYRA established the foundation of a 2027 racing schedule to include 203 live race days at Saratoga and Belmont. The 2027 calendar will mark the return of the Belmont Stakes to Long Island. For the first time since 2005, the Breeders' Cup World Championships will be contested at Belmont on Oct. 29-30, 2027.

Following a three-year period of temporary adjustments to the schedule of racing at Saratoga from 2024 through 2026, NYRA will return to the traditional 40-day summer meet in 2027.

"Each summer, Saratoga stands at the center of the racing world," said David O'Rourke, NYRA President and 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.

"Saratoga has served as the ideal temporary host for the Belmont Stakes and July 4th festivals, and we look forward to returning to the traditional 40-day summer racing schedule at Saratoga in 2027."

"NYRA has arrived at a schedule for the next two years that provides continuity in 2026 and significantly expands racing opportunities in 2027," said Andrew Offerman, NYRA Senior Vice President of Racing and Operations. "The two-year plan reflects NYRA's investment in a revitalized winter racing product at the new Belmont, where the availability of a Tapeta surface will improve field size and increase the quality of racing year-round.

"We will soon be entering a new era for racing downstate, and this agreement allows NYRA to focus its efforts on planning and implementing these racing calendars, continuing to improve the quality of racing opportunities for all participants in New York and successfully reopening Belmont."

As part of the same forward-looking agreement, NYRA will accelerate the implementation of comprehensive purse increases for all New York-bred overnight races. Originally scheduled for January 2027, these purse increases in races restricted to New York-breds will now take effect in September 2026 to coincide with the reopening of Belmont. Throughout the 2026 calendar year, as previously announced, NYRA will increase purses in all New York-bred overnight races for 2-year-olds.

"This two-year agreement represents a significant step forward for every participant in the New York-bred program," said Najja Thompson, NYTB Executive Director. "The significant increase in purses for all New York-breds with the reopening of Belmont will benefit breeding and racing in New York, which drives a broad and growing industry across the state.

"We're proud to have the best regional breeding program in the nation, and this announcement further strengthens our position."

Specific purse levels and details relative to these increases will appear in the first condition book for the summer meet at Saratoga and the first condition book for the fall meet at Belmont.

"We are pleased to announce a landmark two-year calendar for New York racing," said Tina Marie Bond, NYTHA President. "This ensures stability for New York owners, trainers and other major stakeholders as we prepare to transition to the brand-new surfaces of the redeveloped Belmont.

"We will continue to work closely with NYRA to secure a healthy future for horse racing in the Empire State."

The ongoing construction of a new Belmont, which will reopen in September, will require certain adjustments to the customary NYRA racing schedule throughout 2026. The spring and summer meets traditionally held at Belmont will again take place at Aqueduct, and Saratoga will host the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival for the third and final time.

To allow for the uninterrupted construction of a new and reimagined Belmont, Saratoga will host the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival from Wednesday, June 3, through Sunday, June 7. It will be highlighted by the 158th running of the $2 million Belmont Stakes on Saturday, June 6.

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.

"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."

The 2026 Aqueduct winter meet will open Wednesday, Jan. 1, and continue through Sunday, March 30. Except for Jan. 8, live racing will be conducted Thursday through Sunday until Feb. 15 and Friday through Sunday from Feb. 20 through the end of March. The winter meet will offer 45 live race days in total.

The 2026 spring meet at Aqueduct will open Thursday, April 2, and continue through Sunday, April 26, with live racing conducted Thursday through Sunday. The spring meet will offer 15 live race days in total.

The 2026 Belmont at the Big A spring and summer meet will open Thursday, April 30, and continue through Sunday, June 28. Live racing will generally be conducted Thursday through Sunday except for Memorial Day weekend and a period of dark days prior to the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga. The Belmont at the Big A spring and summer meet will offer 33 live race days in total.

NYRA will honor the legacy of Aqueduct throughout 2026 and bid farewell to the storied venue with a series of events culminating on June 28. Additional details will be provided in early 2026.

At the conclusion of the Belmont at the Big A spring and 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 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, Sept. 2, through Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7.

NYRA will unveil the new and reimagined Belmont when live racing returns to Elmont, N.Y., in September. Centered around a new grandstand and paddock, Belmont will offer four newly constructed racing surfaces including a one-mile Tapeta track to be used for winter racing, off-the-turf races and for training year-round.

Tentatively scheduled to begin Friday, Sept. 18, the Belmont fall meet will continue through Sunday, Dec. 6, and offer 46 live race days in total. NYRA will provide additional details in the coming weeks and months regarding Opening Day events and festivities to celebrate the new Belmont.

The 2026-27 Belmont winter meet will open Thursday, Dec. 10, and will continue into 2027 following 11 days of live racing in December.