Triple Crown Moves 2024 Belmont Stakes to Saratoga Race Course
The “Test of the Champion” will be a much easier test for thoroughbreds in 2024. The Belmont Stakes is hitting the road to Saratoga Race Course next spring.
Major renovations are currently underway at Belmont Park. In order to keep the construction schedule on time, New York Racing Association (NYRA) officials are moving the third leg of the Triple Crown to one of the most scenic settings in all of horse racing.
The move comes with one big change. The Belmont Stakes is known as the “Test of the Champion” because it asks 3-year-olds to run 1 1/2 miles, the longest distance in the sport (sans marathon runners who primarily race that distance, primarily overseas). The 2024 Belmont Stakes will only be 1 1/4 miles, the same distance as the Kentucky Derby. That should make this Triple Crown much more attainable for the next crop of 3-year-olds.
The change in distance is not unheard of. When COVID altered the racing calendar in 2020, the Belmont Stakes was the first Triple Crown race and ran at just 1 1/8 miles. The race has moved from Belmont Park before. Aqueduct Park hosted the stakes race during the last major renovations to Belmont Park from 1963-1967.
In addition to the shorter distance, NYRA is offering more purse money to this year’s runners. It will grow from $1.5 million to $2 million. There will be three days of racing leading into this year’s Belmont Stakes, which may also return to Saratoga in 2025.
Less than 150 Days till Kentucky Derby 150
Churchill Downs is pulling out all of the stops for the 150th consecutive running of the Kentucky Derby. The paddock transformation is expected to be complete by the first Saturday in May. This year Churchill Downs will feature two variations of the Mint Julep glass. The race-day souvenir certainly appears to be worth attending in-person.
Kentucky Derby won’t Strip Justify of Crown
If you recall, the 2018 Triple Crown winner for Bob Baffert had a drug problem. The horse failed post-race drug tests from the Santa Anita Derby, the race that punched his ticket to a Triple Crown berth. Those results were kept quiet until long after his three wins. On Friday a California judge issued an order for Stewards to disqualify Justify from the 2018 Santa Anita victory.
“We’re not currently planning to comment on the topic,” CDI vice president Tonya Abeln said in a text message to Horse Racing Nation on Saturday. “There are new rules and requirements in place since 2018 to prevent a scenario like this in the future, which is the important thing, so we don’t plan to revisit history in terms of the Kentucky Derby winner.”
Justify will remain the 13th Triple Crown winner, but you can add an asterisk if you like.
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