SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course has seen a surge in ticket sales this week, particularly after general admission tickets were made available to the public at 10 a.m. on Thursday.
While single-day GA tickets for Belmont Stakes Day on Saturday, June 8, have already sold out, there are still single-day GA tickets available for the other three days of the festival. Additionally, about 1,500 four-day GA passes, which cover the entire festival from Thursday, June 6, to Sunday, June 9, are still up for grabs.
According to Pat McKenna, NYRA vice president of communication, these four-day passes are expected to sell out by the end of the day.
Due to ongoing reconstruction at Belmont Park, the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will be held at Saratoga for the first time in history.
Apart from Belmont Stakes Day, reserved seating for the Friday, June 7, program is sold out. However, a limited number of reserved seats are still available for the Thursday and Sunday programs.
“The ticket sales this week have been phenomenal and have far exceeded our expectations,” said McKenna. “For instance, the sales for Friday [June 7] were stronger than what we usually see for a typical Belmont Stakes Day at this stage.”
“The four-day passes are still available, but only while stocks last. This is currently the only way to secure a spot for Belmont Day. Normally, it would take us three months to sell the number of tickets we sold this week in just three days.”
The four-day general admission passes are priced at $90, while single-day general admission is $10 on both Thursday, June 6, and Sunday, June 9. The single-day GA price for Friday, June 7, is $30.
The approximately 800 non-reserved picnic tables in the Saratoga backyard will be available on a first-come, first-served basis when gates open each day.
About 100 paid reserved picnic tables in the backyard section adjacent to the paddock will be distributed via a random draw of registered applicants. The draw will open sometime in March.
The reserved picnic table lottery was first introduced at Saratoga in 2015 in anticipation of high demand to see Triple Crown winner American Pharoah run in the Travers. The policy has been used intermittently since then, whenever overflow demand was expected.
“This method has proven to be an effective way to fairly distribute the reserved picnic tables,” McKenna added.
The ticketing has been capped at 50,000 for each day of the racing festival, as is the case at Belmont Park and Saratoga for days when large crowds are expected.
Last summer, paid admission exceeded 43,000 for Whitney Day and over 48,000 for Travers Day at Saratoga.
Saratoga Race Course can accommodate 35,000 general admissions per day. As is the norm during the summer meet, general admission tickets will provide fans with access to the backyard, picnic tables and apron.
A reminder on the BelmontStakes.com site states that verified resale tickets may be available through Ticketmaster, likely at prices above face value.
Disagree. Disappointing news, was really looking forward to attending the Belmont Stakes Day at Saratoga.