The third leg of horse racing's Triple Crown will run at Saratoga Race Course for a third year.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced Friday morning that the Belmont Stakes, which has been run in Saratoga for the last two years during renovations at Belmont Park in Elmont, will be held upstate one more time in 2026. Next year's running in Saratoga will allow renovations to conclude at Belmont Park, which will host the 2027 Breeders' Cup.

"While NYRA had previously left open the possibility of hosting a Belmont Stakes in a partially completed facility with a limited number of fans, the decision to return to Saratoga Race Course for the 2026 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will allow the event to be unhindered by various restrictions made necessary by ongoing construction," read a statement from the governor's office.

Hochul announced last month that the Breeders' Cup would head to Long Island, and that construction at Belmont Park was expected to be completed by September 2026 — months after the Triple Crown races are complete. Gov. Hochul's statement Friday indicated that Belmont Park is on schedule for that September 2026 opening date.

"Saratoga has served our fans and stakeholders extremely well as the temporary home of the Belmont Stakes during the construction of a new Belmont Park on Long Island," said NYRA President/CEO Dave O'Rourke in a statement. "As we prepare for the opening of the new Belmont Park in the fall of 2026, NYRA is pleased to bring the Belmont Stakes to Saratoga for a third and final time next June."

Last weekend, Sovereignty won the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga in the race's 157th running.