NYRA awaits green light to allow fans back to track

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – While racetracks in other jurisdictions have announced plans to host fans on a limited basis, the New York Racing Association is still awaiting guidance from state officials on rules to allow it to host patrons at the upcoming Belmont and Saratoga meets.

Over the last few weeks, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has announced capacity levels for professional sports such as baseball, basketball and hockey. Large outdoor venues such as Yankee Stadium and Citi Field will be allowed to host 20 percent capacity beginning April 1. Indoor venues such as Madison Square Garden, Barclays Center and Nassau Coliseum have been allowed to host 10 percent capacity since late February. Cuomo said that as COVID-19 numbers improve, those capacity levels will likely rise.

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However, according to a state document outlining the COVID-19 protocols to allow fans for those venues, it specifically states, “This guidance … does not apply to horse racing or auto racing events, which are each covered under separate guidance.”

The COVID-19 pandemic brought racing to a halt for 80 days last spring. When Belmont Park reopened on June 3, fans were not permitted onsite and have not yet been allowed to return. A limited number of owners were permitted to attend beginning at the Saratoga meet.

Fans will not be permitted at the 11-day Aqueduct spring meet, which runs from April 1-18. The first floor at Aqueduct is being used as a COVID-19 vaccination center and there is very limited outdoor seating.

“Considering the size and scope of the COVID-19 vaccination site on the first floor of Aqueduct Racetrack, where New York State will soon be distributing more than 4,000 doses per day, NYRA hopes to reopen Aqueduct to spectators in the fall of 2021,” said Pat McKenna, NYRA spokesman.

The Belmont meet opens on April 22 and runs through July 11. The Belmont Stakes, the third leg of the Triple Crown, will be held June 5.

“Governor Cuomo’s decision to expand capacity limits for sports fans beginning this April is incredibly positive news as we look toward the spring and summer,” McKenna said. “NYRA will work closely with the New York State Department of Health and the New York State Gaming Commission to secure the requisite approvals to welcome fans back to Belmont Park this spring and to Saratoga Race Course this summer.”

A portion of Belmont Park’s ground floor on the clubhouse side is also being used as a vaccination center.