NYRA launches Belmont Stakes scholarships for local students

NYRA is putting the Belmont Stakes brand to work off the track, offering five annual scholarships of $3,000 each to graduating seniors from the Sewanhaka Central High School District. The application deadline is May 29, 2026, and recipients must plan to enroll in an accredited two-year or four-year college, university or technical trade school for the 2026-27 academic year.

That is bigger than a check-writing exercise. NYRA says the scholarships are meant to connect with internship opportunities, career guidance and mentorship, a signal that the organization wants local students to see a future in and around the sport, not just a day at the races. In a business that often struggles to explain its value outside the betting window, that matters.

The program builds on Leg Up!, NYRA’s educational outreach effort launched in 2024 for students ages 12 to 19. Since then, more than 800 high school students have visited NYRA properties, with stops that have taken them behind the scenes at Saratoga Race Course, Belmont Park and Aqueduct Racetrack. NYRA has used those visits to show students the stewards’ stand, the jockey room, the paddock and the winner’s circle, while introducing them to careers in racing, equine care, hospitality, marketing and operations.

The early results are the part that should make racing people pay attention. In an earlier NYRA community feature, more than 200 young people had already taken part, with more than 50 staffers volunteering. Survey responses showed 95% of students met professionals they otherwise would not have met, 82% said the experience expanded their awareness and interest in industry opportunities, and 79% said they had not previously known about horse-racing career paths. That is not symbolic outreach. That is a pipeline.

The local response is part of the story too. The Sewanhaka Central High School District has embraced the growing partnership with NYRA and the Belmont Park community, which gives the scholarship program a credibility boost in the neighborhoods most directly tied to the track’s future.

That future is moving fast. NYRA says the 2026 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will run June 3-7 at Saratoga Race Course, with the 158th Belmont Stakes scheduled for Saturday, June 6. Belmont Park is slated to reopen on Sept. 18, 2026, the Belmont Stakes will return to Long Island in 2027 and Belmont Park will host the 2027 Breeders’ Cup World Championships. Put together, the scholarships read less like a one-off announcement and more like a deliberate attempt to pair redevelopment with local buy-in before racing returns home.