While it may be tough to picture horse racing in upstate New York in the heart of winter, preparations for the second installment of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival are well underway in Saratoga Springs.

A little less than four months from now, some of the finest thoroughbreds in the world will compete for top prizes at the historic Union Avenue track.

“If you want to be a part of history, if you want to see this historic race, this is the year to do it,” said Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Todd Shimkus.

And to make it all happen, the New York Racing Association (NYRA) is relying on a robust, temporary workforce.

“Anyone who has been to Saratoga Race Course can probably identify with the fact that it takes a village to run the annual summer meet for 40 days,” said NYRA Vice President of Communications Patrick McKenna. “But certainly, the Belmont Stakes as well.”

NYRA hosted a job fair Thursday to fill around 750 positions. The Belmont Stakes typically attracts workers from across the state.

“Maintenance workers, bar and restaurant staff, you know, anything and everything under the sun,” McKenna said. “Security personnel, people who are taking care of the grounds.”

Local business leaders are also eying June 4-8.

“We had folks in hotels all the way from Albany up to Lake George,” Shimkus said. “The economic impact, we do believe, was $150 million or more.”

Overall, Shimkus deemed last year’s racing festival a success, but admitted there’s room for improvement.

“For instance, Belmont on Broadway, instead of starting the concert at six o’clock, we’re going to start the concert at seven,” he said. “What that does is give local restaurants to have an opportunity for one more turn before the concert starts.”

And while the excitement of hosting the Belmont Stakes is unmatched and the shot in the arm economically is welcomed by most, Shimkus believes traditional racing at The Spa is unrivaled.

“The shorter it is, to some extent, the more of a boutique meet it is,” he explained. “The more special those days are.”

In addition to hosting the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, Saratoga Race Course will also be home to the July 4^th Racing Festival, which runs from July 3-6. The two events, paired with the traditional 40-day, meet brings the total number of live racing days to 49.

People interested in learning more about the job opportunities are encouraged to visit NYRA’s website.