By Pat McKenna – NYRA Press Office
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.— The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) today unveiled the official logo for the 2024 Belmont Stakes, which will be contested at Saratoga Race Course for the first time in history to allow for the uninterrupted construction of a new and re-imagined Belmont Park.
This year’s Belmont Stakes logo pays tribute to the history of Saratoga, home to an annual thoroughbred race meet since 1863. The original four-day meet, which was held on what is now known as Horse Haven, was staged by gambler, casino owner, ex-boxing champion and future Congressman John “Old Smoke” Morrissey and drew thousands of locals and tourists to the property.
Emboldened by the success of that first meet, Morrissey promptly enlisted his friends John R. Hunter, William Travers and Leonard Jerome to form the Saratoga Association. Its first responsibility was the construction of a new, permanent grandstand on the site of Saratoga Race Course, which opened to the public in 1864.
The current grandstand with its iconic spired roofline was designed by Herbert Langford Warren, a renowned Boston architect who was also responsible for the famed South End Grounds, home of the Boston Braves baseball team. The Queen Anne style grandstand, built in 1892, is the oldest continuously used stand of any professional sport in the United States. The open, wooden structure features ornate truss and iron work that makes it architecturally unique.
The Saratoga Race Course grandstand is featured prominently on the green and gold Belmont Stakes logo, which will be displayed on a host of Belmont Stakes merchandise and throughout the property during the four-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival in June. The 2024 Belmont Stakes logo was developed by NYRA in collaboration with the creative team at Learfield, a leader in sports media and technology.
Highlighted by the 156th edition of the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, June 8, the 2024 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will begin on Thursday, June 6 and continue through Sunday, June 9. The four-day Festival at Saratoga Race Course will include 23 stakes races with the richest purses since the launch of the multi-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival in 2014.
An American tradition inaugurated in 1867 at Jerome Park Racetrack and moved in 1905 to Belmont Park, the Belmont Stakes has provided fans with some of the most exciting moments in sports history. From Secretariat’s spellbinding 31-length victory in 1973 to American Pharoah successfully ending a 37-year Triple Crown drought in 2015, the Belmont Stakes captures the attention of the sports world every June.
Belmont Stakes Racing Festival tickets will go on-sale to the public in February. NYRA will offer advance pre-sale opportunities for returning Belmont Stakes buyers and reserved season ticket holders for the summer meet at Saratoga Race Course.
For additional information about the 2024 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course, visit BelmontStakes.com.
