Dave O'Rourke

Belmont will reopen June 3 for a 25-day meet with a stakes schedule that includes a number of purse cuts and the cancellation of several stakes traditionally run in the spring at the NYRA tracks. Spectators will not be allowed to attend the races throughout the spring season at Belmont. Following the opening week, racing will be held Thursdays through Sundays with closing day scheduled for July 12. "The resumption of live racing at Belmont Park June 3, with all appropriate health and safety protocols in place, will support the...

What has traditionally been the final leg of the Triple Crown will now be the first. The GI Belmont Stakes will be run June 20 at the distance of a mile and an eighth, NYRA announced Tuesday. In a year where the coronavirus has caused tracks across the country to scramble and adjust their racing calendars and stakes schedules, the Triple Crown, in order, will now consist of the June 20 Belmont, the GI Kentucky Derby Sept. 5 and the GI Preakness Oct. 3. "The Belmont Stakes is a New...

The New York Racing Association, Inc. has partnered with Northwell Health to secure important COVID-19 antibody testing for NYRA employees and backstretch workers at Belmont Park. "We would like to thank Northwell Health for their commitment to expanding the availability of antibody testing across New York and right here at Belmont Park," said NYRA CEO and President Dave O'Rourke. "This broad testing program will provide additional insight allowing us to to more fully understand how COVID-19 has impacted our community. Going forward, this is a positive step in NYRA's overall...

In a move that seemed inevitable, the New York Racing Association, Inc. announced Thursday that the opening of the Belmont Park spring/summer meet will be delayed due to the continuing impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Highlighted by the 152nd running of the GI Belmont S. June 6, the 51-day Belmont Park spring/summer meet was originally scheduled to begin Apr. 24 and conclude July 12. "We are working closely with the New York State Gaming Commission and public health officials to determine a timeline for the resumption of live racing...

On a day when racetracks around the world, including Keeneland, announced they would be shutting their doors due to the COVID-19 outbreak, NYRA, Oaklawn, Gulfstream and the Fair Grounds announced their intentions to continue racing. The decision by NYRA may have been the most surprising among the three as it came just hours after New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a ban of gatherings of 50 people or more and that restaurants, bars, movie theaters and casinos must shut down. Aqueduct's next scheduled day of live racing is Friday. As...

The New York Racing Association will increase the amount of green space available to fans by removing the group hospitality tent positioned alongside the paddock at Saratoga, it announced Tuesday. The removal of the Paddock Tent, which has been a permanent fixture at Saratoga for more than a decade, will return 240 square feet of picnic space to fans where they can enjoy an unimpeded view of the historic Saratoga paddock. The Paddock Tent will be eliminated prior to the start of the 2020 summer meet at Saratoga Race Course,...

The New York Racing Association Inc. will celebrate women and their contributions to both the Thoroughbred industry and the world of sports during Fabulous Fillies Day Thursday, Aug. 8 at Saratoga Race Course. All fans are encouraged to wear pink to show their support for breast cancer awareness during their visit to Saratoga Race Course. The day will include a luncheon at The Rail at the 1863 Club, the all-new hospitality venue located on the Clubhouse turn, to benefit The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) which will honor the first...