The biggest longshot tied to the Belmont Stakes (G1) has nothing to do with any of the horses.
If you are looking for a million-to-one shot, then that’s the likely odds on someone actually getting the $53,888 they want on StubHub.com for a seat at the historic first-ever Belmont at Saratoga Race Course.
With all seating sold out for the blockbuster June 8 card at the Spa, the secondary market stands as one of the best options for someone to purchase a ticket.
While the fascinating allure of a Triple Crown race at the Spa has spawned inflated prices like $4,000 for one night in a downtown hotel, as of June 2 ticket exchange and resale companies such as StubHub have offerings from ticket holders that range from reasonable to overpriced to ludicrous.
The most preposterous and laughable offering would have to be the $53,888 for a ticket in Section C of the clubhouse. Seating at the Spa begins with Section A in the clubhouse and extends alphabetically to X and Y at the end of the grandstand.
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Making that price even more expensive and comical is the hefty $14,818 StubHub charges as a fee, bringing the ticket to $68,707, a price higher than the winner’s share of a $100,000 stakes and one that even Don Quixote would rate as hopeless.
Of course, if you don’t want to shell out a 6-figure sum for two seats in Section C, there are seats priced at $1,059 each with $297 fees raising them to $1,357. All in all, that’s a savings of a mere $67,350.
If you are searching for a general admission ticket, they were originally sold by the New York Racing Association for $50 and some people who bought them are making them available for as low as $56 or $75 with a $19 fee from StubHub.
Yet even with a ticket that does not offer a guaranteed seat, some buyers are banking on something crazy happening. One general admission ticket is selling—and will no doubt go unsold—for $871, which equates to $1,114 with $243 in fees.
Prices definitely soar when the fees charged by StubHub (not NYRA) are added, especially as tickets get more expensive.
One moderately priced seat compared to the bulk of the others is offered in Section R for $315 which is $406 after $91 in fees.
If you want to get closer to the finish line in a prime seating area, a seat in Section B is available for $1,217 with $341 in fees making it a $1,558 purchase.
Looking for a seat in a dining room? There are options that include food and light beverages.
A seat in the Easy Goer Restaurant is there for the taking at $532 with a $155 fee and a final sticker price of $688. You may want to move fast on that one because there’s another in the Easy Goer offered at $765 with $215 in fees and a final cost of $981.
Want a seat in the Founders Room? It can be had for $5,014 with $1,389 in StubHub fees for an out-the-door price of $6,404.
A seat in the 1863 Club is priced at $2,516 with $702 in fees bringing it to $3,218.
One seat at The Porch, the trackside dining area, is available for $1,035 or $1,330 after $295 in fees.
The Turf Terrance has a seat for $1,665 which jumps to $2,135 with $470 in fees.
That might sound pricey but it’s hardly that when you realize you can buy 30 seats in the Turf Terrace and it will not cost as much as one in Section C—with no food—from the biggest longshot player on Belmont Stakes Day.
