Famous Sports Venues Near Thoroughbred Racetracks

Planning to visit a Thoroughbred racetrack or a major sports venue in the near future? Why not check two goals off your bucket list at the same time?

Major racetracks and sports stadiums are frequently located in close proximity to each other, so sports fans can potentially visit both during a single trip to a big city. Need some ideas? Here are some prominent sports venues located within 30 miles or so of a racetrack…

Arthur Ashe Stadium

As the crow flies, Arthur Ashe Stadium— the world’s largest tennis stadium and home of the U.S. Open—is just seven miles away from historic Belmont Park, where the Belmont Stakes (gr. I) is held every June.

AT&T Stadium

An ambitious sports fan could walk from AT&T Stadium, where the Dallas Cowboys (NFL) play their home games, to Lone Star Park, the racetrack where the 2004 Breeders’ Cup was held. After all, the distance between these two Texas sports facilities is less than eight miles.

CenturyLink Field

Head north from Emerald Downs, the remarkably fast-playing racetrack in Washington, and a trip of less than 25 miles will bring you to CenturyLink Field, the notoriously noisy home of the Seattle Seahawks (NFL) and Seattle Sounders FC (MLS).

Indianapolis Motor Speedway

A ~30-mile drive is all you need to get from Indiana Grand Racing & Casino to Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a racetrack exhibiting a different kind of horsepower. The historic automobile track is home to the Indianapolis 500 and is also just five miles away from Bankers Life Fieldhouse, which hosts two Indiana basketballs teams—the Indiana Pacers (NBA) and the Indiana Fever (WNBA).

Madison Square Garden

Hockey and basketball are two of the primary sports played at historic Madison Square Garden, located less than 20 miles from Aqueduct. “MSG” is home to the New York Rangers (NHL) and the New York Knicks (NBA), and even hosted the retirement ceremony of two-time U.S. Horse of the Year Cigar, a Grade 1 winner at Aqueduct.

Oracle Park

Golden Gate Fields, Northern California’s primary racetrack, is just a hop, skip, and a jump away from Oracle Park on San Francisco Bay, home of the San Francisco Giants (MLB). By way of the Oakland Bay Bridge, they’re barely a dozen miles apart.

Oriole Park at Camden Yards

An eight-mile jaunt will carry you from Pimlico Race Course, host of the Preakness Stakes (gr. I) and one of the oldest racetracks in North America, to Oriole Park at Camden Yards, current home of the Baltimore Orioles (MLB).

Staples Center

The busy Staples Center, which currently hosts the Los Angeles Kings (NHL), Los Angeles Lakers (NBA), Los Angeles Clippers (NBA), and the Los Angeles Sparks (WNBA), is located less than twenty miles away from equally busy Santa Anita Park, the most important racetrack in California.

Wrigley Field

The iconic home of the Chicago Cubs (MLB) in Chicago, Illinois, Wrigley Field sits not far off the coast of Lake Michigan and roughly 25 miles away from Arlington Park, host of the prestigious Arlington Million (gr. I) each summer.

Yankee Stadium

It takes less than 20 miles to travel from Belmont Park or Aqueduct to Yankee Stadium, which opened in 2009 and serves as the current home of the iconic New York Yankees (MLB). Soccer and football are also played at Yankee Stadium.