Belmont Park to limit attendance on Belmont Stakes Day

The New York Racing Association will cap the attendance at this year’s Belmont Stakes at 90,000, in part to avoid overcrowding and other logistical problems that were incurred at last year’s event.

Chris Kay, NYRA’s president and chief executive, announced the attendance cap Wednesday at the end of a conference call that also announced the Goo Goo Dolls will be the headline ontrack entertainment for Belmont Day.

Last year, a crowd of 102,199 attended the Belmont when California Chrome attempted to win the Triple Crown. Fans complained of overcrowding in certain sections, and thousands of fans had problems leaving Belmont Park by train or by car.

Kay said he felt 90,000 was the appropriate number to “truly provide the most opportunity for fans to come – it will be the largest sporting event in the state – but also provide a means for everybody who’s here to have an enjoyable day.

“And we felt in light of what we have in the way of facilities, that’s why 90,000 was the right number.”

According to the NYRA media guide, there have been five Belmont Day crowds of more than 90,000, all since 2002, including a record 120,139 to watch Smarty Jones’s failed Triple Crown bid in 2004.

In 2012, when I’ll Have Another scratched the day before the Belmont and his bid to win the Triple Crown, NYRA announced a crowd of 85,811. The largest crowd to attend the Belmont when it was known immediately after the Preakness that there would not be a Triple Crown at stake was in 2001, when 73,857 watched Preakness winner Point Given beat Kentucky Derby winner Monarchos.

In addition to the attendance cap, NYRA reiterated that it and the Long Island Rail Road have made $5 million in improvements to the ontrack LIRR station that will expedite train departure from the track. Last year, NYRA and the LIRR estimated that 36,000 people attempted to use the LIRR to get to the park.

Of course, officials are hoping people do stick around after the Belmont to watch a concert by the Goo Goo Dolls following the 13th race on the Belmont card. Post time for the final race is 7:50 p.m. Eastern. Sunset on June 6 is 8:37 p.m.

Belmont also will host a post-race concert on the day before the Belmont, with the headline group being O.A.R.