by Mark J. Burns, Contributor, SVG News
For the race’s third year at the historic racetrack, the broadcaster has added cameras and will incorporate multiple drones
The 158th edition of the Belmont Stakes will run tomorrow at Saratoga Race Course for the final time before the third leg of the Triple Crown heads back to its traditional Belmont Park venue following renovations.
Live race-day coverage across FOX’s platforms begins at 10:30 a.m. ET, with the Belmont Stakes race starting around 6:30 p.m.
“We’re excited for our final race up at the historic Saratoga Racetrack,” says Brad Cheney, VP, field operations and engineering, FOX Sport. “It has been an amazing three years hosting the Belmont Stakes in such a beautiful venue.”
The onsite compound will house Game Creek Video Ovation, which made its debut on FOX’s NFL coverage in 2025. The truck will house two control rooms for the broadcaster’s Belmont Festival and Belmont Stakes shows, according to Cheney.
For 2026, FOX has added ARRI Alexa 35 Live cameras for the main stage and one camera on the front stretch of the course to capture the racing action, and the team will continue its use of the Canon 122 Novel lens. The broadcaster plans to incorporate multiple drones into its coverage to provide more vantage points on the race.
“We continue to build on the beauty and majesty of the horses and the fans with super-slow-motion cameras and cinematic ENG roving throughout the grounds,” says Cheney.
On the audio effort, he says FOX’s team “continues to dial up the sound coverage with additional mic operators covering the course, new surround mics, and consoles all based on an IP core.” FOX’s graphics department, he adds, has been working with SMT (SportsMEDIA Technology) to provide additional data visualization leading up to and during the Belmont Stakes race.
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