9
Gaming
The Big Win. Everybody dreams about it. Pick the right
ponies. Hit the right numbers. Get the jackpot. Queens has
a few venues where humans can go for the gold while in a
comfortable, clean environment with great food and service.
AQUEDUCT RACETRACK
Best known as “Big A,” Aqueduct Racetrack is the only
thoroughbred horse-racing facility located entirely within New
York City limits. With a season that usually runs from October
through April, the winterized complex’s main feature is a 1-andone
eighth-mile course. It also has smaller inner dirt and turf
courses. The track has an estimated seating capacity of 17,000
with a total attendance capacity of 40,000 guests. Its stables
house about 400 horses.
The original hippodrome opened in 1894, but the track was
torn down in 1956. The Big A opened in 1959 after a major
renovation.
Inside scoop: The racetrack houses the New York Racing
Association’s headquarters.
Address: 110-00 Rockaway Blvd., South Ozone Park, and www.
nyra.com/aqueduct.
BELMONT PARK
Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred racing track. Spread over
445 acres, the facility can host more than 100,000 attendees at
a time and is one of the country’s biggest grossing venues. It is
world-renown as the host of Belmont Stakes, the Triple Crown’s
final leg (after the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes),
which takes place every June.
Belmont Park’s main track is 1.5 miles long, and the site
stretches from the Queens border to Elmont, Long Island, where
it is located. It first opened in 1905 before closing in 1963 and
reopening with a grandstand in 1968.
Inside scoop: Wilbur and Orville Wright, sibling inventors who
flew the first successful airplane, staged an international aerial
84 QUEENS IN YOUR POCKET • www.itsinqueens.com