[2] The race park's main dirt track has earned the nickname, "the Big Sandy", given its prominent overall dimensions (1+1⁄2 miles (2.4 km)) and the deep, sometimes tiring surface.

[3] Belmont is also sometimes known as "The Championship Track" because almost every major champion in racing history since the early 20th century has competed on the racecourse – including all of the Triple Crown winners.

[5] In his 1925 book, "The Big Town", Ring W. Lardner refers to the then-recent directional change when he has a character at Belmont say (speaking of a recent race) "At that time, they run the wrong way of the track, like you would deal cards".

The first is the display of four stone pillars on Hempstead Turnpike, a gift from the mayor and park commissioners of Charleston, South Carolina.

In spring 1963, NYRA Chairman James Cox Brady announced that two separate engineering surveys found the grandstand/clubhouse was unsafe due to age-induced structural defects and needed to be rebuilt.

The book Belmont Park: A Century of Champions noted the comment of NYRA President Edward T. Dickinson: "When you sighted down the stands, you could see some of the beams were twisted.

Some 150,000 people were drawn to the track on October 30, 1910, at the climax of a Wright Brothers-staged International Aviation Meet at Belmont Park, which had started eight years earlier.

A long mural by Pierre Bellocq on the second floor of the clubhouse featuring the dominant jockeys, trainers and racing personalities celebrates the track's history.

[13] Belmont's stands would have been heated, additional barns built for Aqueduct's 400 horses, and the track modified to accommodate winter racing.

The next phase of reconstruction, which began after the 2023 spring and summer meet, included completion of the synthetic track, widening of the inner turf course, and construction of a second infield tunnel near the first turn.

The Islanders proposed an 18,000 seat sports arena, 435,000 square feet (40,400 m2) for retail development, a 225-room hotel, and a 10,000 sq ft (930 m2) community center, while NYCFC's pledge included a 26,000 seat soccer ground, 400,000 sq ft (37,000 m2) for retail, a 5.2-acre (2.1 ha) community park, and 2-acre (0.81 ha) soccer complex: both proposals were fully privately funded and included improved parking and LIRR facilities as well.

[20][21][22] In July 2019, the plan was adopted by the Empire State Development Corporation board, and UBS Arena opened in time for the 2021-22 NHL season.

The new Belmont Park facility is planned to open in September 2026, which would ultimately lead to the closure of nearby Aqueduct Racetrack.

[28][29] The 430-acre (170 ha) racing, training and barn complex is located on the western edge of the Nassau County region known as the Hempstead Plains.

Just a few miles (kilometers) east on the same plains, the first racing meet in North America was held in 1665, supervised by colonial governor Richard Nicolls.

[citation needed]A straightaway chute leads on to the backstretch of the Main Track and permits races on the dirt up to 1+1⁄8 miles (1.8 km) long to be run with one turn.

Before the 1990 Breeders' Cup, the outer rail of the Main Track was moved back to widen the middle of the clubhouse turn and soften the angle of the start of the 1+1⁄4 miles (2.0 km) Classic.

In March 2009, lights were added to the training track as a safety measure to prevent early morning workouts from occurring in the dark.

[citation needed] Officials of the New York Racing Association made a concerted effort to boost attendance on Belmont Stakes Day after the 1995 installment drew only 37,171.

Belmont's Fall Championship meet includes New York Showcase Day in late October, with seven stakes races for New York-bred horses.

Other memorable performances in Belmont Park history include the opening of the track in 1905 with the famous dead heat between Sysonby and Race King in the Met Cap.

Belmont Park was the site of the tragedy-marred victory of Foolish Pleasure over champion filly Ruffian in a 1975 match race.

Because of Belmont's role in hosting big, nationally televised races on broadcast and cable TV, its track announcers have been among the best known in the sport.

[37] Belmont Park was one of the racetracks referred to in the song "It's A Simple Little System" in the Judy Holliday - Dean Martin musical Bells Are Ringing.

[40] A January 1975 episode in season 5 of the ABC sitcom The Odd Couple — entitled "Felix the Horse Player"—was filmed partly at Belmont Park,[41] though one of the race clips on the show features the shot of an Aqueduct starting gate.

[citation needed] A few years later, Dick Cavett took the camera crew of his PBS talk show to Belmont for a look at horse racing.

[citation needed] In November 2004, Belmont Park was featured in an episode of the ninth season of Everybody Loves Raymond, titled Boys' Therapy, in which Frank, Robert, and Ray bet on a horse named "Marie's Mouth".