The Belmont is Coming!
And even the Congress Park ducks are on their best behavior. PLUS: the horseshoe of the year, a new thrill, Opera Saratoga and more.
Last week, a friend asked me about my expectations for Belmont weekend in Saratoga. Though I’m normally eager to talk about, well, everything, but especially Saratoga, I was uncharacteristically speechless. I had no idea.
When I asked Cantina owner Heath Ames the same question a few days later, she didn’t really have an answer either. “We don’t know what to expect,” she said. “Next year we’ll know what to expect. And then it will be over. We’re just trying to be as prepared as we can staff-wise and food-wise, because that’s what our location requires.”
That’s the message I heard all across town: We don’t know what’s coming, but we’ll be ready for it. Maybe the four-day Belmont racing meet will live up to all the hype, and maybe it won’t. Either way, Saratogians are bracing for impact. Here’s how:
Retail
Like everyone else, Saratoga’s store owners have been preparing for next week’s hoopla for months. An unprecedented influx of potential new customers strolling down Broadway? They’d be fools not to take advantage. Special, limited-edition Belmont merch has been popping up everywhere, from Impressions of Saratoga’s Greg Montgomery–designed posters and shirts, to deJonghe Original Jewelry’s Belmont Saratoga 2024 charm. Union Hall Supply Co. is selling Belmont Saratoga apparel, as is Miss Scarlett Boutique, where owner Jen Marcellus says she feels as nervous as she normally does heading into track season. “It’s been a little bit crazy, because it feels like track season is already upon us,” Jen says. “We rushed in all of our custom merchandise that we normally would be getting for track season—we had to do that a month early. So I had a lot of sleepless nights stocking all of our new racing-inspired accessories and dresses that came.” Jen’s other business, Chateau du Cheval, created custom Belmont at Saratoga ties, pocket square and scarves that will be sold at NYRA’s gift shop during the four-day meet.
But shop owners aren’t just relying on their in-store inventory to draw in customers—they’re going all out on their window displays as part of the Downtown Business Association’s window-decorating contest. “There are going to be people coming from all over the world, and this could be in many cases the first time they’ve been to Saratoga Springs,” says Discover Saratoga President Darryl Leggieri. “The goal is to make our downtown look even more beautiful than it already is.” Notable displays? Lifestyles of Saratoga’s giant floral horseshoe, G. Willikers’ racing-themed window, and Samantha Nass Floral Design Shoppe’s impressive flower arch.
Bars/Restaurants
While everyone expected restaurants to be completely booked Belmont weekend, it turns out that there’s still availability at some of Saratoga’s favorite establishments, including The Merc and Morrissey’s, and Heath tells me that Cantina always saves some tables for walk-in customers. In other words, don’t stay home next weekend just because you assume you won’t be able to get a bite to eat.
Of course, many restaurants are still going all out for the big Belmont weekend, with The Coat Room offering a special prix fixe tasting menu on June 6, 7, and 8, and Forno Bistro hosting a Belmont Brunch from 10:30am-2pm on Saturday. Bocage, too, is hosting brunch on June 7, 8 and 9, and is also offering exclusive to-go packages of its caviar service as well as its petit lobster rolls.
The City Tavern, on the other hand, isn’t offering any special promotions, but is buckling down for a weekend like no other. “We’re treating it like it’s going to be five days worth of Travers,” says owner Jay Fitch. “I just took in about four hours’ worth of deliveries today for this weekend and next weekend. For big holidays, everyone orders at the same time, so we try to order the week before so we’re not killing our delivery drivers. Our cooler is overflowing right now.” City Tavern’s Belmont game plan? “We’re going to turn everything on, get everything cold, put our heads down and hope for the best,” Jay says. “When the dust settles, we’ll probably have a huge party.”
Hospitality
The hospitality industry is one area in which the reality of Belmont weekend may not live up to its hype. While The Adelphi is largely booked, there are still rooms availability, especially on Thursday and Sunday nights. “A lot of people aren’t coming for the entire meet,” Adelphi GM Helen Watson told me.
When you search for accommodations on Airbnb, you’ll find plenty of places to lay your head next weekend. “I know people were renting, but I think there were sweet spots for pricing,” says Racing City Realty Owner/Broker Ariane Milligi-Fuller. One of Ariane’s higher-priced properties, a four-level penthouse with a rooftop pool on Church Street, is still available to rent for $4,000 per night. She was able to showcase it to a group of VIPs on Wednesday, when it served as the venue for the launch of Helen Mastrion and Noel McLaren’s new real estate podcast, Selling Saratoga.
This of course doesn’t mean that there aren’t still thousands of out-of-towners paying a pretty penny to stay in town next weekend. To make their stay a little sweeter, The Adelphi is giving all its Belmont weekend guests a complimentary bottle of Champagne and two Champagne glasses. “Belmont dictated that the rates have gone crazy high at all the hotels in town,” Helen says. “So this is a little value-add to make sure that we’re making a good first impression.”
Events
Quite likely the No. 1 way Saratogians are prepping for the Belmont is by party planning. Next week’s social calendar is chock-full of all sorts of events, from Therapeutic Horses of Saratoga’s Embrace the Belmont handicapping event (tickets are almost sold out) and the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame’s exclusive Belmont Gala, to numerous Belmont watch parties and Belmont on Broadway, the concert headlined by Blues Traveler that will shut down Broadway from Lake Ave to Van Dam Street on Wednesday. Saratoga Springs Police Chief Tyler McIntosh tells me that his team is partnering with the New York State Police and the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office to staff Belmont on Broadway, which is expected to draw between 15,000 and 20,000 people. “Just due to the unprecedented nature of it and the high focus,” Tyler says, “we basically took our Travers plan and, in an overabundance of caution, increased our safety plan with more personnel and resources.”
Not sure which events to go to? Come celebrate Belmont week with Saratoga Living! We’re hosting a meet-and-greet with trainer Jena Antonucci on Wednesday from 4-6pm at Putnam Place (stop by before heading to Belmont on Broadway!), as well as a Belmont watch party on Saturday from 4-7pm. Racing fans of all ages are welcome at both!
Parking
Even without the added stress of Saratoga’s new paid parking plan—its start date was pushed until after the Belmont—Saratogians are still worried about finding a place to put their car next weekend. (Jena Antonucci’s one request for our party with her was a reserved parking space.) For Belmont on Broadway, at least, commuters have a solution: CDTA’s two complimentary shuttle services, which will bring concert-goers downtown from SPAC’s Route 50 lot and the Wilton Mall bus stop.
For the rest of the weekend, parking is pretty much every man for himself. If you’re driving to the track, though, you might consider paying to park in the Kings Tavern parking lot, where proceeds will go to a good cause. “We decided to donate the parking lot to a friend who is fighting cancer,” says City Tavern’s Jay Fitch, who also owns Kings. “Instead of us collecting money from cars being parked, she’s going to be out there with her kids and her family. We were like, with the spotlight of the Belmont, what good can we do?”
Locals
Everyone knows that out-of-towners will be coming to Saratoga for the Belmont, but no one’s quite sure if the townies will be heading out of town. “I think locals are like, ‘Oh, God, don’t go downtown,’” Heath says.
“Mark can’t handle it when people are in his way when he’s driving,” my friend told me of her boyfriend who lives downtown. Needless to say, they’ll be heading north to the Adirondacks next weekend.
Mariah VanBuskirk is another local who’d prefer to be nowhere near the Belmont crowds, but, thanks to some unforeseen scheduling snafus, she’ll be right in the thick of it. “My birthday always falls on Travers weekend, so when we planned our wedding day, I was like, ‘I want nothing to do with the horses, but I definitely want to be in Saratoga,’” she says. “We were like, ‘Perfect, June 8. Nothing’s going on.’” That, of course, was two years ago, and Mariah has spent the last few months figuring out how to host a wedding of 250 people at the Canfield Casino on what may be Saratoga’s biggest track day of the year. Helen from The Adelphi came to the rescue when Expedia tried to cancel Mariah’s hotel reservation for the night before the wedding, but the bride is still worried about the parking situation. And yes, the Belmont will be playing on a TV in the Canfield during the reception.
Regardless of your standpoint—whether you’re getting the heck out of dodge or enjoying the “four days of early Christmas,” as racing fan Barry Potoker will be—one thing’s for certain: The Belmont is coming, so get ready. The ducks already are.
—Natalie
You Can Bet on It
This year’s Opera Saratoga Festival Artists have officially landed in Saratoga, ready to bring the house down during this summer’s renditions of Guys and Dolls and Così fan tutte, among others. The talented singers (22 were chosen out of a pool of 1,000 applicants) first hit the stage at the Mansion of Saratoga June 2 to perform cabaret numbers at 2 and 7pm. Così premieres June 28 and Guys and Dolls June 29, both at UPH—but if you happened to be strolling down Broadway yesterday early afternoon, you were treated to a preview of some of the shows’ biggest hits. Commissioner of Finance Minita Sanghvi was on hand, too, with a check from the city for $15,000 towards the opera’s educational program, which this season performs five free family shows around town.
Red, White & You
American Cancer Society’s annual Red, White & Blue party is just weeks away. Grab your tickets now to the Saratoga National bash, which this year features gourmet BBQ and other elaborate food spreads, drinks, live music and of course a silent auction to raise funds for the fight against cancer. So don your favorite all-American outfit that dazzles in our country’s colors and head to this quintessential summer bash to party the night away (for a good cause) 7-11pm on June 21.
Finders Keepers
King Tut, the beloved police quarter horse who died last fall, may be gone—but he’s definitely not forgotten. Officers Barrett and Moore, King Tut’s primary riders, have donated one of his horseshoes to Saratoga Hidden Horseshoes, which has Saratogians across town looking behind every tree and bush for one of the 300 concealed horseshoes that they can bring home as a souvenir. King Tut’s is the official Horseshoe of the Year and is three times the size of the regular Thoroughbred ones. The hunt for the giant shoe begins today; check out Saratoga Hidden Horseshoes’ Instagram for hints on where to find it!
Pool Time
The Victoria Pool opened early this year, throwing open its gates in time for Memorial Day Weekend (and the Belmont Stakes). Open weekends only (10am to 6pm) until June 29, the historic pool in the Spa State Park is also featuring some new amenities this year in honor of the Belmont, including mineral spring tasting, architecture tours and children’s programming at the Creekside Classroom. First time? You might want to brush up the hotspot’s Unwritten Rules.
For the Thrill of It
Our local Six Flags Great Escape has officially launched its first new roller coaster in more than 20 years and the first wooden coaster since 1999. The Queensbury amusement park’s new ride (open to the public as of today) is family friendly and called The Bobcat. The first 1,500 riders will receive a commemorative souvenir.
ICYMI
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