Triple Crown 2018: Where is the Belmont Stakes held?
By Zach Bigalke
The Kentucky Derby is in Louisville, and the Preakness Stakes takes place in Baltimore. The Belmont Stakes completes the Triple Crown series in New York.
All eyes will be pointed toward Long Island on June 9 for the Belmont Stakes. On that Saturday afternoon, Justify will try to become the 13th Triple Crown winner in horse racing history. To earn that honor, Justify heads to New York. There, the Belmont Stakes has been held outside New York City limits at Belmont Park every year since 1905.
Located on the west side of Long Island just across the border from Queens in Elmont, New York, Belmont Park has a history as one of the most imposing tracks in the country. “Big Sandy” is a 1.5-mile dirt track that measures as the longest race course in North America.
Proximity to the New York metropolitan area helps bolster Belmont’s position as the terminus of the Triple Crown journey. The track was built at the turn of the 20th century. Sited on the grounds of Foster’s Meadow in the pastoral suburban areas of Nassau County, the track once sat apart from the city. Now it is part of the urban sprawl that spills across once-tidy borders. And Belmont Park helped play an early role in that development.
When it opened in 1905, Belmont Park provided an early example of how sports can completely change the development of local communities. The track completely altered the development of its surrounding area. Farmlands became residential neighborhoods as track employees relocated individually and with their families closer to the facility. The Long Island Railroad developed a station near the track to facilitate traffic to the venue.
Next: Triple Crown 2018: Schedule for Derby, Preakness, Belmont
Today, the Cross Island Parkway flanks the western boundary of Belmont Park. The Hempstead Turnpike runs along the southern border of the Belmont Park grounds.
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