Werth Wins Big
On former MLB star Jayson Werth’s first trip to Saratoga, the racing newcomer’s horse, Dornoch, won the 2024 Belmont Stakes at odds of 17-1. “It was a life-changing moment,” he told Saratoga Living. “I thought, my God, this sport is incredible. We dreamed this incredible dream, and there we were, living it.”
Giving the Runaround
At the inaugural Belmont on Broadway, the concert hosted on the Wednesday evening before the big race, headliner Blues Traveler opened the show with “Run-Around”—and the crowd went wild.
On Location
It was serendipitous (for us) that the year Netflix decided to film the Race for the Crown documentary, the third leg of the Triple Crown was being contested at Saratoga. During Belmont week 2024, film crews were spotted following jockey Katie Davis, a Saratoga native who was featured prominently in the miniseries. Two months before Belmont 2025, the series was released, with Saratoga featured prominently.
Match Day
Belmont Stakes Day 2025 was, apparently, dress-like-your-friends day. We spotted countless groups—of both men and women—sporting matching outfits, from a polo-clad father-son duo to a bachelor party sporting Hawaiian shirts with the groom’s face on them. One group opted for a more patriotic look, wearing suits that were half stars, half-stripes. ’merica.
Twice as Nice
The popular New Jersey–bred gelding Book’em Danno proved exceptional in both the 2024 and 2025 Belmont Stakes Racing Festivals, winning the Grade 1 Woody Stephens in 2024 and returning to take the Grade 3 True North in 2025. He then went on to win the Grade 2 Alfred Vanderbilt and the Grade 1 Forego at Saratoga last year en route to earning the Eclipse Award for Champion Male Sprinter.
“I Do!” x2
In a town that’s known almost as much for its wedding scene as it is for its horse racing track, a couple of wedding/racing crossover events were bound to happen. In 2024, Mariah and Zac Fanning inadvertently planned their big day for Belmont Day, and had to scramble at the last minute to accommodate guests who weren’t expecting to pay Belmont weekend prices for lodging. It all worked out, and the couple screened the big race during their cocktail hour at the Canfield Casino. The next year, Lulu and Richard Argento hosted an impromptu micro-wedding in the middle of the paddock between Races 9 and 10 on Belmont Day. “We plan to have an actual wedding in the future where we invite everyone we know,” Lulu said at the time, “but I don’t know how we’re going to outdo this one.”
By the Numbers
17-1: 2024 Belmont winner Dornoch’s odds going into the race
$125M: 2024’s Belmont Stakes Day all-sources handle
2: Races that were postponed due to rain on Belmont Day 2025
$50M: The estimated yearly economic impact of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival on Saratoga
96K: Combined attendance for Belmont Day in 2024 and 2025
Windows for the Win
Last year, Crafter’s Gallery took home first place in the Downtown Business Association’s Belmont window-decorating contest for its three-window display featuring Belmont Park, Saratoga Race Course, and the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga. The Scott Varley Team was named Funniest Window for its AI-generated depiction of Varley himself racing on a horse around the Saratoga racetrack—clockwise. “He’s going the wrong way,” jockey Dylan Davis said when he saw the image.
Rain, Rain, Go Away
The weather on Friday of the Belmont Racing Festival posed a bit of a problem in both 2024 and 2025. In 2024, the skies opened around 4:30pm, and backyard crowds ran for cover, abandoning their chairs and coolers. In 2025, Friday afternoon’s weather carried over into Saturday morning—Belmont Day, which saw a bit of a dip in on-track handle due to two races being rescheduled. Not everyone was upset though; two little girls were spotted playing around in the puddles during the torrential downpour.
Talking Shop
Belmont coming to Saratoga wasn’t just a boon to hotels and restaurants—it also gave our boutiques a reason to order new merch! Over the last two years, Saratogians and tourists alike have scooped up limited-edition Belmont at Saratoga shirts, hats, neckties, jewelry, glassware, and more from Downtown shops of all stripes.
Water Works
While Saratoga Water is pretty much connected to the Spa City in name only these days, the Belmont Racing Festival must’ve been a big enough deal for the brand to pull out its custom Saratoga Water horse-drawn carriage in 2024. Saratogians spotted it pulling up to The Adelphi Hotel the day before the Belmont.
If the Shoe Fits
It’s an age-old dilemma: Do you wear the cute heels, or opt for a more sensible flat shoe for a day at the track? In 2024, a group of kids were counting on women choosing option No. 1, and were spotted near The Horseshoe on Nelson Ave selling a small selection of store-bought flip-flops, socks, and band-aids for a pretty reasonable price, given the high demand.
Stage Right
Belmont on Broadway isn’t the only concert to bring big-name acts to town in time for the Belmont. In addition to Blues Traveler and the Gin Blossoms, the last two Belmont weeks have boasted shows by Afroman (who played Putnam Place in 2024) and G-Eazy (who took to the Night Owl patio in 2025). Celebrity chef Bobby Flay was spotted at the latter.
Fame Game
Wherever an event of Belmont’s magnitude goes, rumors of celebrity sightings are sure to follow. Over the last two years of Belatoga, there have been alleged sightings of Tom Brady, Adam Sandler, Julianne Moore, and Post Malone, and confirmed sightings of Barstool President Dave Portnoy, NBA coach Pat Riley, NFL analyst Terry Bradshaw, Bachelorettecontestant Greg Grippo, and singer Idina Menzel, who performed “New York, New York” on Belmont Day 2024.
Best of the Best
In the 2025 Belmont Stakes, Sovereignty beat Journalism by three lengths in a battle of the year’s best 3-year-olds. Sovereignty, who’d previously won the Kentucky Derby but skipped the Preakness, remained at Saratoga after the Belmont and went on to win both the Jim Dandy and Travers before being named Horse of the Year.
In and Out
On Belmont Day at Saratoga, the protocols for attendees are a bit different than they are during the regular Spa meet. For one, you can’t bring in your own booze (unless of course you hide it really well and are willing to bend the rules). For another, you can’t go into the track, out of the track, and back into the track. In other words—no midday Jamo shots at Kings. Unless of course you bought two tickets, which at least one racing superfan certainly did.
That’s a Wrap!
“The Saratoga brand carries a lot of weight. We’re making an historic investment in the new Belmont Park, and we look forward to bringing the Belmont Stakes back to its home next year, but Saratoga has been a wonderful host for the festival the past two years, and we have no doubt that will be the case again this June.”
—David O’Rourke, CEO and President, New York Racing Association
