New hospitality offerings highlight on-sale for 2020 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival

by NYRA Press Office

Trackside Bench Seating and VIP Lounge available for BSRF starting Thursday, February 6
General admission tickets now include access to clubhouse

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) today announced the unveiling of the Trackside Lounge, a premium hospitality area, located near the first turn outside the Champagne Room, for the 2020 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival which will go on sale to the public on Thursday, February 6, starting at 10 a.m. via Ticketmaster.com.

Highlighted by the 152nd running of the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes - the oldest and most challenging leg of horse racing's vaunted Triple Crown - the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will begin on Thursday, June 4, and conclude Saturday, June 6.

The three-day event, launched in its current format in 2015, features a unique blend of world-class racing and entertainment complemented by a variety of hospitality options. The 2020 edition of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will feature the very best in thoroughbred racing, including 17 stakes races over the three days of action and eight Grade 1 races on Belmont Stakes Day, June 6.

A private tented area featuring casual spaces and spectacular views, the Trackside Lounge debuts in 2020 and adds a premium hospitality option for groups with direct access to the Clubhouse Apron and Champagne Room.

Trackside Lounge tickets include a buffet in the Champagne Room and premium open bar package for Belmont Stakes Day, Saturday, June 6, as well as Champagne Room access for Friday, June 5, with buffet and cash bar. Bottle service and a private bar along with comfortable lounge seating are available within the tented area.

Another new addition for the 2020 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival is the reserved Trackside Apron Bench Seating. Located just steps from the track in the heart of the action, these prime seats are now reservable for the first time.

General admission tickets for Belmont Stakes Day start at $25 with a special three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival general admission pass available for $35. General admission ticket offerings now include the added value of clubhouse access and the convenience of entry to Belmont Park via any main gate. General admission tickets do not include reserved seating.

The Belmont Stakes is an American tradition inaugurated in 1867 at Jerome Park Racetrack and moved in 1905 to its familiar home at beautiful Belmont Park. As the third leg of racing's Triple Crown, the 1 ½-mile "Test of the Champion," as the Belmont Stakes is known, has showcased many of history's greatest thoroughbreds over 151 editions.

The Belmont Stakes has been won by Hall of Famers from Sir Barton, Man o' War and Native Dancer to Secretariat, Affirmed and Easy Goer. That only 13 horses in history have achieved Triple Crown glory by winning the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes attests to its mystique as one of the rarest accomplishments in all of sports.

Two of those Triple Crown triumphs have come in the last five years, with American Pharoah ending a 37-year Triple Crown drought in 2015 and Justify capping a perfect 6-for-6 career with a Triple Crown-clinching effort in 2018.

For additional information, and further details on hospitality offerings, ticket packages and pricing, visit BelmontStakes.com.

Official logos for the 2020 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival can be accessed at https://www.nyrainc.com/media/logo-download by using the password NYRA2020Media.

About the New York Racing Association (NYRA)

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) holds the exclusive franchise to conduct thoroughbred racing at Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course. NYRA tracks are the cornerstone of New York State's thoroughbred industry, which is responsible for 19,000 jobs and more than $3 billion in annual statewide economic impact.

Accredited by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's Safety and Integrity Alliance, NYRA is a founding member of the Thoroughbred Safety Coalition, a group of the nation's leading racing organizations working collaboratively to advance safety measures across the sport.

Over the course of 217 days of live racing in 2019, NYRA generated more than $2.1 billion in all-sources wagering handle with paid attendance exceeding 1.5 million.