#Belmont ny venture forthe professional#

There's a lot of pro's to having the arena here.' The new train station is a big deal, making access to Belmont easier for everyone. You would be surprised by the number of people who live around here and have never been there,' said trainer Dave Donk, a regular on the NYRA circuit for more 35 years. 'This will introduce a lot of people in the area to Belmont Park. Yet in an area with as many sports and entertainment options as the Big Apple, there is indeed a large segment of people whose next visit to Belmont Park for an event at UBS will be their first one. Located in Nassau County, a short walk from the border with New York City, Belmont Park may reside in a densely populated location. To create a racing fan all you have to do is bring them to Saratoga and we want to create that feeling at Belmont Park as well.'

From our experience that's how you build fans. 'This opens up a huge potential for causal sports fans or a concert-goer to come in early, hang out at Beautiful Belmont Park, and catch some races. 'We race during the day so what could be better than to come out early, hang out in our park, and watch a couple of races? The best way to acquire racing fans is to show them a race have them watch a race,' O'Rourke said. Given the inevitable traffic jams for evening events at the arena and NYRA offering afternoon racing and having a fully operational Long Island Railroad station by the summertime, NYRA plans to promote the idea of arriving at the complex early and enjoying a few races to pass the time on those days beginning five months from now in the spring when there is both racing and an arena event. As O'Rourke sees it, having more people on the grounds gives NYRA the opportunity to entice a small army of newcomers to venture into the racetrack. Of course, how all of this will benefit NYRA is the pertinent question for the racing industry, especially at a time when NYRA has established a thriving online and mobile wagering platform supported by extensive national television coverage. 'The UBS Arena is probably going to be the premier concert venue in the area,' O'Rourke said.

#Belmont ny venture forthe professional#

Nearly four years later, all of the ensuing years of construction has led to the emergence of a ultra-modern, $1.1 billion arena that will seat between 17,000-18,500 fans for not just NHL games but a year-round slate of concerts and events that will include Genesis, Harry Styles, John Mayer, Journey, college basketball games, WWE and AEW professional wrestling, Disney On Ice, and Monster Jam in the coming months.