Check out photos from inside the 2024 Belmont Stakes

Summer at the spa – a ritual that has lasted nearly 200 years – began early in Saratoga Springs, New York, with the third leg of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes, held Saturday for the first time at Saratoga Race Course, a relic revered where elites and others mingle, but horses dominate.

Broadway, the city’s central thoroughfare, was abuzz with activity. Lines for picnic tables along the trail formed before dawn. A new color, Belmont Green, blends with the track’s signature red and white coating. Owners, trainers, runners and loyalists all hailed the break with tradition for the 156th edition of the race.