Making official what had pretty much been anticipated since last September, the 2024 Belmont Stakes will be run at Saratoga and shortened to 1 1/4 miles, it was announced Wednesday. Also, the purse of the Belmont has been bumped to $2 million from $1.5 million. The Belmont, the third leg of Thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown, will be run June 8, the third of four days, June 6-9, of what is being billed as the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival. There will be 23 stakes races, totaling $9.7 million held over the four days. The official announcement of the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga came via press release from New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who called the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga “a win for horse racing and for the Capital Region to have the excitement and the ability to host the four-day Festival in June at America’s most historic track,” Hochul said in a release. “As I said during the 2023 Saratoga meet, 'let’s do it.’ “ Moving the Belmont Stakes to Saratoga in 2024 -- and likely, though, unofficially, in 2025 as well -- became necessary due to the massive construction project taking place at Belmont Park, which includes renovations of both turf courses, the main track, and the installation of a synthetic surface. Thus far, the two turf courses have been ripped up and part of the base of the synthetic surface has been laid down. :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets. The project also includes the demolition of the current grandstand and the construction of a new, smaller grandstand. The demolition of the current grandstand is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2024. NYRA president and CEO Dave O’Rourke had previously indicated the 2025 Belmont would have to be held at Saratoga. It was last September that he publicly floated the idea of having the race there in 2024 to allow for an uninterrupted and presumably expedited redevelopment of Belmont Park. “Beyond the excitement and energy around a Triple Crown event at the sport’s most beloved venue, the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course will generate important economic impact and drive tourism throughout the Capital Region,” O’Rourke said in a release. “We are thrilled to add a new chapter to the story of Thoroughbred racing in Saratoga Springs this June.” Though there has been no official release of other racing dates for 2024, the release did indicate the Belmont Park spring meet would be held at Aqueduct and, for a third straight year, the Belmont fall meet, will also be held at Aqueduct. Following the four-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, racing will be conducted at Aqueduct before the 40-day summer meet at Saratoga begins on July 11. The current Aqueduct 2023 fall meet runs through Dec. 31. The New York Gaming Commission has not yet approved NYRA’s entire 2024 requested schedule. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.