The New York Racing Association has recently revealed that it will soon start looking at candidates for its 2024 Belmont Stakes racing festival. It was previously announced by Gov. Kathy Hochul that due to the upcoming renovation of the track, the next edition of the meet will be relocated to Saratoga Race Course from June 6 to June 9, 2024.
Earlier this month the governor officially confirmed that Belmont Stakes will be moved to Saratoga for the upcoming 2024 season. After the news many hotels were immediately booked and local businesses, the city, and county officials are preparing for the event. NYRA is also expecting plenty of interest and is now looking to hire staff members.
Preparing for an Exciting Summer
NYRA’s Vice President of Communications, Pat McKenna, said the association has plenty of experience when it comes to staffing the summer meet and the move of Belmont Stakes is an adjustment to its timeline. However, the group is looking forward to the event that will be successful, which would require a full-staffed facility which will be able to handle large crowds.
It is yet to be determined how many employees would be needed for the Belmont Stakes, but the association predicts it would be around 1,900 in total between NYRA staff and part-time and seasonal workers. Mr. McKenna explained there will be several job fairs starting in January 2024 and continuing into May, as well as advertising to properly staff the stakes.
Furthermore, the VP of Communications noted that every year the association hosts numerous job fairs for a wide selection of jobs. He also believes that the excitement around the festival coming to Saratoga Spring will also help the organization in finding workers. Mr. McKenna added the group is lucky to have summer workers who make the summer meet an annual tradition.
It should be mentioned that next year, when Belmont Stakes relocates to Saratoga Springs, it will be contested a distance of 1 ¼ miles, instead of its usual 1 ½ miles. The temporary relocation of the stakes from Belmont to Saratoga is the first time but it probably will not be the last one as it could stay there for the 2025 season, depending on the renovations progress.
Aqueduct Racetrack Gets Winter Meet Extension
In addition to that, NYRA recently announced that it will extend its winter meet at its Aqueduct Racetrack. The upcoming meet is scheduled to start on January 1, 2024, and run through March 30, 2024. Meanwhile, the horse racing operator awaits further confirmation to release its full calendar for next year to the public.
For the upcoming winter meet, NYRA will provide 26 stakes events with purses totalling over US$3.5 million. The usual trio of races for three-year-olds, the Jerome on January 6, 2024, the Grade 3 US$250,000 Withers on February 3, 2024, and the Grade 3, US$300,000 Gotham on March 2, 2024, all offer qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby on May 4, 2024.
Source: Briere, Shenandoah “NYRA to begin job fairs for Belmont Stakes festival next month” The Daily Gazette, December 27, 2023
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