Saratoga Springs, N.Y., resident Jack Knowlton came to national prominence when he and his Sackatoga Stable partners stepped off a yellow school bus at Churchill Downs and watched Funny Cide, their longshot New York-bred gelding, win the 2003 Kentucky Derby.

Knowlton, who has managed Sackatoga since 1995, showed the operation was no one-hit wonder when Tiz the Law, another New York-bred, swept the Belmont Stakes and Travers in 2020. Funny Cide and Tiz the Law were trained by Barclay Tagg.

Knowlton, who has lived in Saratoga Springs with his wife, Dorothy, since 1984, discusses what it means to the area to host the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets and offers his insight into Saturday’s race in a diary written with Tom Pedulla on behalf of America’s Best Racing.

I am describing Saturday’s Belmont Stakes as the Travers on steroids. As big as the Travers is every summer when it is run in late August and celebrated as the “Mid-Summer Derby,” this final leg of the Triple Crown is bigger than that.

Jack Knowlton, center, at Funny Cide Interment Ceremony in Saratoga. (Anne M. Eberhardt/BloodHorse)

Excitement has grown since the New York Racing Association announced its decision to move the Belmont to upstate New York for the next two years. It will be a win-win proposition. The $455 million construction of the new Belmont Park, which will benefit the racing industry overall, can continue without interruption. Saratoga received a wonderful opportunity to showcase everything it offers.

Racing means so much to Saratoga. It would be maybe 30% or 40% of what it is without the annual 40-day summer meet. Families have helped pay for their children’s college educations by renting space to racetrack workers or out-of-towners. Hotels are heavily booked. So are restaurants. Shops make a ton of money as racing-related merchandise flies off the shelves.

For many individuals and families, Saratoga is the place to be every summer without fail. Sports Illustrated ranked Saratoga Race Course, which opened in 1863, among the 10 greatest sports venues. There are excellent views of the track for owners who occupy the same boxes year after year and for those who crowd into the grandstand.

When the gates open, family members run to claim picnic tables in the backyard. Parents study past performances and talk about this, that, and the other thing while children chase after jockeys who walk through the crowd as they make their way to the jocks’ room after each race. The riders are almost always obliging with autographs and they will often hand over the goggles they just used.

While the Whitney on the first Saturday in August and the Travers on the final Saturday of that month are huge draws, there are plenty of opportunities to enjoy the action on other days. That is where having the Belmont at Saratoga comes in.

We are expecting more of an international crowd than we are used to hosting. When I travel to other states, many people tell me they heard how wonderful Saratoga is, but they have never been here. We think the Belmont and the appeal of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, with 24 stakes races totaling $10.25 million, will attract many first-timers.

Knowlton at Saratoga (Anne M. Eberhardt/BloodHorse)

The economic impact of the first Belmont at Saratoga is estimated at more than $50 million. We are confident this will be the gift that keeps on giving. First-timers, whether international or domestic, will want to return. Racing is the thing, but the area offers much more.

There are more than 180 bars and restaurants offering a variety of cuisines. The food and service is excellent. People are friendly wherever you go. Vermont and Lake George are easy drives. For history lovers, there is ample opportunity to explore the past.

Summer visitors will quickly learn that Saratoga has become a year-round destination as a host to conventions and all kinds of fun events. The 25th annual Chowderfest this past February drew more than 40,000 people who consumed more than 100,000 bowls of chowder.

As for the Belmont itself, I see it as a great betting race. This is a well-matched group without a standout. Seize the Grey got loose on the lead in the Preakness. That won’t happen again. Trainer Chad Brown is from nearby Mechanicville and his horse, Sierra Leone, will receive a lot of local support. I give his horse an edge — but not by much.

Todd Pletcher, a four-time Belmont winner, has three starters. He would not enter them if he did not think they belonged. I am going to include Antiquarian and Mindframe from his barn in my exotics. And you can’t leave out Mystik Dan, first in the Derby and second in the Preakness.

Whatever happens, this will be an event Saratoga long remembers.