New York City Car Rental and an Elmont Overview

Elmont is a hamlet in Nassau County on Long Island that you can visit with your New York City car rental. It is part of the town of Hempstead. Elmont is most famous for the Belmont Park Race Track, which has the world's largest dirt thoroughbred course in the world and is home to the third leg of the Triple Crown.

Settle into your surroundings

Elmont got its start in 1650 when a large area of land was purchased from Dutch settlers with the intention of raising cattle and sheep. As New Amsterdam shifted to English control in 1664, the culture of the area also began to shift and the community became predominantly English. When Long Island was divided into counties, the area that is now Elmont was originally part of Queens County, but became part of Nassau County in 1898. This created a lot of conflict in the area at the time over land and money that was owed.

Race to it

In 1905, the Belmont Race Track was built and was a turning point in the town's history. When you visit with your New York City car rental, you will learn that the traditional farming life was disrupted as people who worked at the race track began to move into the area. Many businesses also formed on the Hempstead Turnpike to support the location. Since the end of World War II, there has been a lot of suburban development in the area.

See the most gorgeous sport venue

When you visit Elmont with your New York City car rental, you will quickly learn that Belmont Park is the main attraction in the area. This is a mile-and-a-half dirt race track that is the largest of its kind in the world. Sometimes this race track is referred to as The Championship Track because almost every major champion in racing history since it opened has competed here, including the 11 Triple Crown winners. Whether you like to gamble or not, Belmont is a must-see because it is one of the best landscaped venues in American sport. There is a stately backyard behind the grandstand where the horses are saddled before the races. Here you will find big, attractive trees and two lakes. This is considered to be one of the most gorgeous and accommodating race tracks in the country, so you will not want to miss it with your New York City car rental.

Get into the game

The Belmont Stakes is held at the Belmont Race Track. This is a prestigious American Grade I stakes race held every June. This means that it is a thoroughbred race where the purse is for more than $75,000. There are some other technical requirements for the race, such as age and weight, as determined by the American Graded Stakes Committee. This race is part of the third leg of the Triple Crown, after it has completed the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. For this particular race, three-year-old colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds, while fillies carry a weight of 121 pounds around the 1.5 mile race track. When you visit with your New York City car rental, you may learn that this is known as the "Run for Carnations" since a blanket of white carnations is draped over the winner's neck.