Greater Mineola coverage is funded in part by The Farm Italy, a striking neighborhood restaurant and cocktail bar bringing the simplicity, beauty and seasonal freshness of Italian dining to Westbury.

The historic Elmont racetrack reopened Friday, Sept. 18, following a three-year transformation, ushering in a new era for one of Long Island’s most recognizable sporting venues.

Greater Long Island was there for opening day, getting an up-close look inside the completely reimagined $550 million Belmont Park — from its sleek new grandstand and expanded fan areas to the track and paddock that will eventually welcome the Belmont Stakes back home.

The new five-story, roughly 300,000-square-foot grandstand replaces the sprawling former structure and serves as the centerpiece of the redevelopment. It was designed to create a more modern, intimate racing experience while opening up significantly more of the property for green space and fan access.

For opening weekend, only the first two floors of the grandstand are open, with the upper levels and additional hospitality spaces expected to be completed in early 2027. Belmont opened Friday with a capacity crowd of 6,000.

The new Belmont was designed with year-round racing in mind and features four racing surfaces: the traditional 1½-mile dirt track, two turf courses and a new one-mile Tapeta synthetic track that will allow racing to continue during the winter months.