Saratoga Race Course will host the Belmont Stakes again in 2025 due to ongoing construction at Belmont Park, pending expected approval from the New York State Gaming Commission, the New York Racing Association announced Wednesday.

The 2024 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival is taking place this year at Saratoga Race Course for the first time on June 6-9, with the 156th edition of the Belmont Stakes – the third leg of the Triple Crown – sold out for Saturday, June 8.

NYRA intends to hold the festival again at the historic Saratoga track next year, though its race dates are subject to approval from the state Gaming Commission on an annual basis.

NYRA President and CEO David O'Rourke made the announcement at a Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce breakfast Wednesday morning.

That means the Spa City would again play a role in the Triple Crown, horse racing's signature trophy, for a second consecutive year, which is expected to generate a significant economic impact.

The Belmont Stakes is the oldest of the three Triple Crown events — the others being the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, held in Maryland. This year is the first time the race has been moved from its Long Island home, since the race was run at Aqueduct from 1963-67.

It would also mean the 2025 Belmont Stakes — traditionally the longest of the Triple Crown races at 1 1/2 miles — would again likely be a 1 1/4-mile race, the same distance as the Kentucky Derby.

This year's Belmont Stakes Racing Festival offers 23 stakes races, featuring some of the highest-valued thoroughbreds in the world, and purses totaling $9.7 million. NYRA estimates the economic impact of the racing festival to be in the tens of millions.

After the four-day Belmont festival at Saratoga, Belmont Park's usual season will return to Aqueduct before the 40-day 2024 Saratoga meet begins July 11.