On Deck: Belmont Week Edition
It's here! Here's what to do.
Tuesday, June 4
Tonight, NBC Sports broadcaster Donna Brothers will be joined at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame by handicappers Acacia Clement, Seth Merrow and Maggie Wolfendale for Embrace the Belmont, a fundraiser for Therapeutic Horses of Saratoga. In addition to light bites, beer and wine, guests will get an in-depth look at handicapping this weekend’s big races.
Wednesday, June 5
Belmont weekend officially kicks off on Wednesday evening…and Wednesday evening officially kicks off at Saratoga Living’s All-Ages Meet & Greet With Jena Antonucci! The 2023 Belmont-winning trainer will be taking photos and signing magazines for fans at Putnam Place from 4-6pm, with complimentary wine by Freixenet and dinner by West Ave Pizza and Chicken provided. Beat the crowds downtown (you might even get a good parking spot!), and meet the woman who made history as the first female to win a Triple Crown race.
After that, you can either head to the National Museum of Racing for Belmont Memories with Tom Durkin, the legendary NYRA racecaller, or up to the roof of 385 Broadway for an exclusive first look at The Coat Room’s rooftop bar from 6-8pm. Tickets are $40, and get you a free drink and complimentary snacks. You’ll also be able to hear the beginning of the Belmont on Broadway concert going on at the other end of Broadway.
Speaking of Belmont on Broadway, the music will kick off outside the Saratoga City Center at 6pm with Saratoga-based funk group Tops of Trees. Pat McGee Band from Virginia will take the stage at 7pm, with headliner Blues Traveler going on at 8pm. Take note: Parts of Broadway will be shut down all day, as the concert will be taking place literally in the street. If you don’t want to worry about driving downtown and finding a parking spot, you can park at the SPAC lot on Route 50 or the Wilton Mall and hop on a complimentary CDTA shuttle, which will come every 20 minutes. In case you haven’t heard: the concert is free!
Thursday, June 6
Racing begins on June 6, with the track opening for fans to watch morning training from 7am-10am and gates opening for the afternoon at 11am. But the Belmont isn’t the only festival coming to Saratoga this Thursday. The 5th annual Mostly Modern Festival, featuring seven open-to-the-public concerts, kicks off at Caffè Lena on Thursday at 7pm. Can’t make it that night? There are plenty more opportunities to witness some of today’s top composers, conductors and musicians later on this month.
Friday, June 7
Unlike on Thursday, racing fans won’t be allowed into the track until 10:30am on Friday. Post time for the first race is at 12:20pm, and at 11:55am singers from Opera Saratoga will be performing the National Anthem, as well as two horse racing–themed selections from their production of Guys and Dolls after the third and fifth races.
After a three-month residency overseas, artist Greg Montgomery is back in town, just in time for the Belmont. He’ll be selling and signing his 2024 Belmont Stakes posters at Impressions of Saratoga on Friday from 6-8:30pm.
For a change of pace, check out The Mill on Round Lake’s outside-of-Saratoga Belmont Stakes Weekend kickoff patio party featuring DJ Romantics, or Hardy at SPAC.
Saturday, June 8
If you nabbed a coveted ticket to the Belmont, you’ll be able to get into the track beginning at 9am; races begin at an early-for-Saratoga 10:45am. Highlights of the day include a photo fashion contest from 1-3pm at the Jockey Silks Porch (winners will go home with gift cards to Lifestyles of Saratoga), Tony-winning actress Idina Menzel singing “New York, New York” just prior to the Belmont Stakes post parade, and professional skydivers touching down in the Saratoga Race Course infield at 1:30pm.
If you’re like us and are staying away from the track this Saturday, you can still experience the excitement of the Belmont running in our backyard at Saratoga Living’s All-Ages Belmont Watch Party, going on at Putnam Place from 4-7pm. We’re teaming up with the Children’s Museum at Saratoga to present an afternoon/evening of fun for the whole family: There’ll be horse-themed activities like hat-making for the little ones, and a cash bar for the adults! Everyone will be treated to dinner by West Ave Pizza and Chicken, a gravity-defying silks performance by Good Karma Entertainment, a Champagne/Shirley Temple toast before the big race at 6:41pm, and, of course, all the races shown on Putnam Place’s huge LED screen.
Sunday, June 9
Morning training viewing is back on the table Sunday, with the track opening from 7-10am and then at 11am for the afternoon’s races. The Belmont Stakes hoopla may be over, but Sunday’s card includes six exciting stakes races exclusively for New York–breds.
See the track like you’ve never seen it before on Sunday at 9:30am, when Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation will host a tour of Saratoga Race Course beginning at the Whitney Viewing Stand at the Oklahoma Training Track. (SSPF’s Friday tour is already sold out.) Attendees will not only get to see the public sides of the track, but will also have the rare opportunity to see the original 1847 Race Course and Horse Haven.
Close out Belmont weekend at Opera Saratoga’s annual gala at the Canfield Casino, which this year just so happens to be casino-themed! The venue will be transformed into a combination of Monte Carlo and Sotheby’s, with artists from the 2024 festival providing entertainment all night long.