The 2016 Belmont Stakes Charity Celebration will honor longtime Thoroughbred owner Stuart Subotnick and benefit the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation when it is held Thursday, June 9, 2016, at the Bryant Park Grill in New York City.

The 148th edition of the $1,500,000 Belmont Stakes, the oldest and longest of the Triple Crown races, is scheduled for two days later, on Saturday, June 11, and will be televised by NBC Sports.

“This unique event enables us to celebrate the third leg of the Triple Crown, honor a most deserving individual for his contributions to our sport and, at the same time, raise funds for a charitable organization devoted to equine health — all in one evening,” said Michael J. Del Giudice, vice chairman of the New York Racing Association, Inc. “Stuart Subotnick is a great business leader, a great friend to me and all those who care about horse racing in our state, and a great member of the NYRA board of directors.”

The charity celebration will feature live jazz music provided by performers from The Juilliard School.

The venue features a Parisian-style garden setting located in the heart of New York’s famed Bryant Park and adjacent to the New York Public Library, one of the country’s greatest cultural architectural institutions.

“The research we fund actually helps every breed of horse, and important fund-raising events like the Belmont Stakes Charity Celebration enable us to conduct critical research that we could not otherwise afford,” said Dell Hancock, chairman of the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation. “Stuart Subotnick has been an ardent supporter of our foundation in general and this event in particular and we are proud to recognize him on this occasion.”

Subotnick, president and chief executive officer of Metromedia Company, guided Metromedia into the field of communications, directing investments in paging, cellular, long distance, fiber optics, and WiFi. He and his late wife, Anita, entered the Thoroughbred industry in 1992 as owners and breeders, operating as Anstu Stables. In 1996, they became trainer Todd Pletcher’s first clients. Over the years, the Subotnick stable has won nearly 70 stakes races.

Subotnick has also served on the New York Racing Association board of directors since 1999 and was elected to membership in The Jockey Club in 2012.

The Bryant Park Grill is located at 25 West 40th Street in New York City. Tickets for the celebration are priced at $300.

The Juilliard School, founded in 1905, is a world leader in performing arts education. Juilliard’s mission is to provide the highest caliber of artistic education for gifted musicians, dancers, and actors from around the world, so that they may achieve their fullest potential as artists, leaders, and global citizens. Located at Lincoln Center in New York City, currently, more than 800 artists from 44 states and 42 foreign countries are enrolled at The Juilliard School.

Additional information about the event may be obtained by contacting Nancy Kelly of Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation by phone at (212) 521-5305 or by email nkelly@jockeyclub.com.

Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation is traditionally the nation's leading source of private funding for equine medical research that benefits all breeds of horses. The foundation has provided $23.3 million to fund more than 335 projects at 42 universities since 1983. Additional information about the foundation is available at grayson-jockeyclub.org.