On Saturday, May 3, Belmont Park will offer the complete day of races from Churchill Downs, including the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby. Trainer Barclay Tagg, who won the 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness with New York-bred Funny Cide, will try again with Tale of Ekati. Winner of Aqueduct’s Grade 1 Wood Memorial, Tale of Ekati will face the likes of Big Brown, Pyro and Colonel John.

Fans on track will receive a free T-shirt with each paid admission, while supplies last.

BELMONT PARK SPRING SHOWDOWN

Registration is now being accepted for Belmont Park's Spring 2008 SHOWdown, the New York Racing Association’s popular on-line contest. Players can now register for the game which officially begins at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 7, 2008. The contest will consist of 54 live racing days and conclude on Sunday, July 20, 2008.

Initiated at Saratoga Race Course in 2001 as “Saratoga Sudden Death,” SHOWdown is a very easy game to play. The rules are simple: select one horse to finish first, second or third in a race on each card during Belmont Park’s Spring Meet, which runs through July 20. The entry fee for the 2008 Belmont Spring SHOWdown is $10. All entry fees will be returned as prizes to the contestants that finish in the Top 10.

The deadline to make daily selections is 15 minutes before post time of the 1st race, each live racing day. Entrants who correctly select a horse to finish “In the Money” (first, second or third) are eligible to select a horse for the following raceday and continue in the contest. Entrants who do not select a horse to finish “In the Money” or who fail to make a daily selection are automatically eliminated from the contest.

To enter the contest, visit www.nyra.com and complete the electronic registration form. All registrations must be received by The New York Racing Association Inc. by 12:30 p.m. EST on Wednesday, May 7, 2008. Contestants must provide their name, e-mail address and a password. No faxed, electronically mailed or phoned-in entries will be accepted. All entries must be purchased online using the SHOWdown entry payment option which requires a valid checking account and corresponding routing number.

PREAKNESS SIMULCAST, SATURDAY, MAY 17

The second leg of the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes from Pimlico, will be offered at Belmont Park, as well as the entire card from the Baltimore, Md. racetrack. The live race feature will be the Grade 2, $150,000 Shuvee Handicap for fillies and mares at a mile.

WORLD OF HORSES, SUNDAY, MAY 25

One of the meet’s more popular family attractions, the World of Horses, begins with a Parade of Breeds at noon on track and special equine performances between races throughout the day.

MET MILE HANDICAP, BASEBALL CAP GIVEAWAY, MONDAY, MAY 28

The 114th running of the Grade 1, $600,000 Metropolitan Handicap is the traditional Memorial Day feature race in New York, and Carter Handicap winner Bustin Stones is scheduled to run in the “Met Mile” for trainer Bruce Levine.

Fans on track will receive a free Belmont Park baseball cap with each paid admission, while supplies last.

BELMONT PARK 2008 HANDICAPPING CHALLENGE, JUNE 21-22

This popular contest, part of the NTRA/Daily Racing Form Handicapping Challenge, is limited to 200 entries, maximum of two entries per person. Entry fee is $400, and all entry fees are returned in prize money.

Handicappers will test their skill at three tracks: Belmont Park, Churchill Downs and Monmouth Park.

Contest rules and regulations are available on-line at nyra.com or by contacting mromano@nyrainc.com

COOLER BAG GIVEAWAY/INDEPENDENCE WEEKEND B-B-Q

FRIDAY, JULY 4-SUNDAY, JULY 6

Belmont Park celebrates the Fourth of July with a weekend barbeque in its storied Backyard. And, on Friday, July 4, fans will receive a free Belmont Park cooler bag with each paid admission, while supplies last.

FAMILY FUN DAYS

Every Sunday during the Spring/Summer Meet from noon until 4 p.m. All events – petting zoos, miniature golf, family comedy troupes, magicians, etc. -- are free, except for pony rides, which are $1 (proceeds benefit Backstretch Employees Service Team (BEST). For more information, call (516) 659-2285.

BREAKFAST AT BELMONT

Mary Ryan is trackside to point out top horses, trainers and jockeys during the morning workouts, and children delight in the Starting Gate demonstration. Tram tours of the stable area are also available. Open to the public on weekends and holidays during the Spring/Summer Meet from 7 – 9:30 a.m. Admission is free. An optional breakfast is served at reasonable prices. On Sundays, Breakfast at Belmont also features family entertainment.

Every Friday from June 13 through July 18, first-race post time, 3 p.m. Free Grandstand Admission and $3 Clubhouse Admission from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and, following that, regular admission prices apply. Happy hour food and drink prices from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. Live rock music from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m.

SIMULCASTING/DARK DAY SIMULCASTING

Watch and wager on featured simulcasts from Churchill Downs, Monmouth Park and major tracks around the country including the twilight simulcasts from the California circuit. Belmont Park pays host track prices on all simulcasts. First-floor clubhouse, trackside (Belmont Café) will be the new twilight simulcast center. Beginning May 5, Belmont Park will host “Spring Simulcasts at Beautiful Belmont Park” on dark days. Gates open at 11:30 a.m., and there is free admission and free parking.

BELMONT PARK IMPROVEMENTS

When Belmont Park opens the doors on its 59-day Spring/Summer meet on Wednesday, April 30, fans will see improvements in three areas, with more improvements still to come.             

Detailed below are more than $1 million dollars in improvements designed to put a brighter, fresher, more welcoming face on beautiful Belmont Park, the first phase in a series of annual capital improvements planned for the home of the Belmont Stakes.             

The new flat screen TVs noted below will showcase an improved NYRA TV product.  The first thing fans on track and at simulcast locations will notice is a new network-quality graphics package, with more improvements rolled-out during the meet.

Improved customer service is a new NYRA focus.  The visual cue is the new Hospitality Center in the clubhouse lobby, but the emphasis on the fan experience won’t stop there. 

Through focus groups and on-line surveys, NYRA management has gained valuable customer service feedback, which it will be using to enhance the on-track experience.

Belmont Park border

Landscaping of property entrancesExterior fencing painted

Clubhouse exterior

New and restored planters, new doors.

Clubhouse entrance

New Welcome Center  Refurbished turnstile set-upBig flat screen TV

1^st floor clubhouse

Two bathrooms completely renovated.1^st floor clubhouse, trackside will be the new twilight simulcast center (additional seating & TVs will be added shortly) 

2^nd floor clubhouse

New NYRA Rewards Lounge created featuring an array of large flat screen TVs, as part of renovated Paddock Bar120-ft long PEB Mural of NY racing history restored and relit.  

2^nd floor & 3^rd floor, clubhouse

Refinished woodworkCeiling treated with coating that refreshes look, removes odor & improves acoustics

 Press Box

New carpets, painted, new chairs, flat TVs 

Grandstand

Portions of the second and third floor closed most day to cut expenses and to facilitate better customer service (closed areas will be reopened on Belmont Stakes Day and other major days) Expanded picnic amenities, West End, Grandstand apron.

 Backyard

Outbuildings (food stands, betting windows, bathroom,) resurfaced, repainted, renovated Paved areas repaired and blacktoppedNew outdoor TV stanchions created each with four flat screen TVs under green & white “umbrellas” 

Throughout Belmont Park

New signage with unified graphic look

New TV system in place designed to produce better quality video presentation of NYRA races seen on track and around the country.