Belmont Stakes to be held June 20

The winner of the 2019 Belmont Stakes. — (Image credit: Nicole Bello/Getty Images)

With the Kentucky Derby and Preakness now scheduled for later in the year, the Belmont Stakes will kick off this year's Triple Crown.

The race will be held in Elmont, New York, on June 20, with no spectators in attendance, officials said Tuesday. It had been set for June 6, prior to the coronavirus pandemic. The Kentucky Derby, traditionally held on the first Saturday in May, has been rescheduled to Sept. 5, and the Preakness was moved from May 16 to Oct. 3.

The New York Racing Association has also shortened the event from 1 1/2 miles to 1 1/8 miles. Dave O'Rourke, the association's president and CEO, said on Tuesday he thinks the field will be "big" and "really competitive," and fans will see a "completely different race than the traditional Belmont would be." On Saturday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said horse racing could start in the state again as early as June 1, as long as the stands remain empty.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.