Is the race important?
You probably have heard that there will be a major horse race at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York on Saturday. The Belmont Stakes and there is a horse that could win the Triple Crown named Justify. But in the overall schemes of things, the Belmont Stakes will come and go and even if Justify can manage to win the race and claim the Triple Crown, the feat won’t be doing all that much to revive the thoroughbred or Standardbred horse racing industry. There was not a massive return of people to tracks because American Pharoah won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont in 2015. But there is some movement going on at the Belmont racetrack. There was the annual parade on June 2 that drew a large number of marchers that included a pair of Grand Marshalls who seemingly are essential to the future of Belmont Park. New York Islanders co-owner Jonathan Ledecky and the Chairwoman of the Elmont Coalition For Sustainable Development Sandra Smith. Ledecky and Islanders co-owner Scott Malkin plan to build an arena within the Belmont grounds.  Meanwhile the New York Racing Association is planning to spruce up the old racetrack as there is a hope that the property which straddles the Nassau County-Queens, New York City border will ultimately become a sports and entertainment hub.
The New York gambling market may be changing shortly. MGM is trying to buy the Empire City-Yonkers Raceway complex. That is one of two downstate racinos with Aqueduct Raceway near John F. Kennedy airport the other. New York State is examining opening up sports betting parlors through the state and it is possible that those two racetracks will close down and become full time casinos. All the racing would move to Belmont. Manhattan has been frozen out of the casino business but that could change after 2020. The real action may not be on the track.
A proposed Islanders arena is the centerpiece of new developmenton the Belmont grounds.
