Belmont Park

Elmont, United States

New York Racing Association

As the first location to host horse racing in the U.S., Belmont Park has a storied history of leadership and innovation in American equestrian culture. Populous is leading the redesign of Belmont Park, a project inspired by Belmont’s history of “firsts” and that represents a new day in American racing, integrating 21st century technology into racetrack operations while retaining the traditions and pageantry of thoroughbred racing.

The design for the new Belmont Park draws inspiration from the flowing, mutable shape of a ribbon — the traditional symbol of victory. Over 275,000 square feet, Belmont Park, home of the Belmont Stakes, will seat approximately 7,500 guests and feature a variety of club and dining spaces, food and beverage outlets, private suites and indoor/outdoor experiences. There will be additional capacity in the ground-level “Mercado” to support backyard general admissions and temporary overlay facilities that can be used to support additional capacity — up to 50,000 guests — for special events.  

The new building is five levels above ground with an outdoor terrace at the top level, providing sweeping views of the site under the graceful canopy that tops the building. Throughout the design process, the varying needs of owners, trainers, jockeys and guests were carefully considered to optimize their overall race day experience and position Belmont Park as the national racing location of choice.  

Belmont Park will remain a park with an expansive and cherished green space. A key element of the project involves unlocking additional green space by proving access to the racetrack’s infield. Two new tunnels under the track provide this infield access without impacting racing and will allow flexibility of use over time. The utilization of this space will expand outdoor gathering spaces at Belmont by nearly fivefold. Additionally, the reduced building footprint returns space to the back yard, supporting a variety of uses from racing to community festivals. This project builds on over 100 years of racing tradition that has given Belmont Park its legacy.