Report: Belmont date change talks will wait for track to reopen
David O'Rourke, CEO of the New York Racing Association, said any discussion about changing the date of the Belmont Stakes will wait until the rebuilt Belmont Park opens.
"I do not see us touching that until that moment, but those conversations can go on in terms of the date...the spacing of the races," O'Rourke told WRGB-TV in Albany. "So we're going to be on this pattern at least until we get down to Belmont (Park)."
The spacing of the three Triple Crown races has been a point of contention. Many runners from the Kentucky Derby will skip the Preakness because their connections don't want them to return two weeks later. The Belmont Stakes follows three weeks after the Preakness.
This year, Derby winner Sovereignty did not run in the Preakness but returned to win the Belmont over Derby runner-up and Preakness winner Journalism. Journalism was the only horse who ran in all three races.
Some argue that the challenging schedule is what makes winning the Triple Crown so special. Others say it has a negative impact on the sport and advocate running the Derby in early May, the Preakness on Memorial Day weekend and the Belmont on July 4th weekend.
Lisa Lazarus, CEO of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, said her agency does not have a role in the decision because the tracks are privately owned, WRGB reported.
"But what I can say, from a safety standpoint, we're having this conversation because we've made so much progress, right? Because trainers are making decisions about their horses that would have been crazy 10, 20 years ago," Lazarus said. "They're not going to run the Preakness because they don't think the horse is in a good position physically to run a race so close. That actually shows a lot of progress, where they land on the commercial viability of the Triple Crown and what makes most sense. We'll support whatever, wherever that ends up."
WRGB also reported that NYRA has not announced where the 2026 Belmont Stakes will be held. Construction is expected to be completed in September 2026, but officials have said the Belmont could be held at the downstate track even if it's still under construction.
"First off, it's the racing surfaces," O'Rourke told WRGB. "Now, those will be in, in the fall (at Belmont Park), so the racing surfaces are going to be good. It's about the timing on the building. And listen, we're going to get through (Belmont Stakes) weekend, and then we're going to give everyone as much lead time as possible. So just give us, give us a week, and then we'll give everyone some clarity on that."