Throwing the perfect horse racing viewing party is an art; you need to have a plan in place for drinks, snacks, decorations, betting, fashion, and maybe even a few games. With that in mind, I’ve put together a few ideas in each category to help you plan the ultimate Belmont Stakes viewing party.

Don’t forget: the Belmont Stakes action will be shown on TV, with pre-race coverage beginning on NBCSN at 3 p.m. ET and Belmont Stakes coverage on NBC beginning at 5 p.m. ET. Have your TV ready to go when your guests arrive, and give them a party to remember with the tips below:

DRINKS:

The official drink of the Belmont Stakes is the Belmont Jewel; simply combine 1.5 oz of Woodford Reserve (or other bourbon), add 2 oz. of lemonade, 1 oz. of pomegranate juice and the zest of a lemon. Shake it with ice, then serve over ice with a twist of orange. It’s incredibly refreshing and delicious; but if you’re looking for some variety, here are ideas to flesh out your Belmont bar:

-A Manhattan: Classic, cool, and perfect for New York’s signature race! Start with 2 oz. of rye whiskey (if you want to stay in the horse racing theme, try some Sagamore Rye from Maryland’s most famous horse farm), then add 1 oz. of Italian vermouth and two dashes of Angostura bitters. Stir this one, don’t shake it; then, pour it in a martini glass and get in touch with your inner Don Draper.

-Pimm’s Cup: It’s really more of a traditional British racing cocktail, but Pimm’s Cup is soooooo good. Put some sliced strawberries and cucumber (you can go nuts here; acceptable fruits include apple, orange, lemon … pretty much anything!) in a highball glass, plus a sprig of mint. Then, fill up a highball glass with ice, then pour 2 oz. of Pimm’s #1 over it, followed by sparkling lemonade or lemon-lime soda. It may actually be a good idea to just go ahead and make a whole pitcher, because your guests are going to be obsessed. 

-Beer: So simple, so easy. Since the Belmont Stakes is a New Yorker’s race, try to find some good beers specific to the region. I like Sixpoint Brewery’s The Crisp, Brooklyn Ale, Blue Point Toasted Lager, or Saranac Pale Ale. 

SNACKS:

Great news, gang: did you know that potato chips were invented in New York? Saratoga, in fact; which is also the home of the oldest racetrack (and sports venue) in the United States. So you can totally serve your guests chips at your party, and instead of being lazy, you’re being authentic! Score. My recommendation is to get Saratoga Chips since they’re the OG potato chip.

If you want to splash out a little more on the food selections for your guests, we have an entire Pinterest board for that, which includes everything from delicious appetizers to sweet desserts.

DECORATIONS:

Jockeys’ silks are often the easiest way to recognize a horse from a distance (or on TV), so why not use those to decorate your Belmont Stakes party? Here’s a downloadable blank silks template that you can use; plus, you can also set out some of these blank silks and have your guests design their own silks!

There is also plenty of party-ready horse racing-themed gear available online; you can find paper plates, photobooth props, wall decals and more if you hunt around a little. I’ve put some all in the Polyvore set below; if you see something you want, just click the image to shop!

BETTING:

If you’re throwing a horse racing party, chances are good that your guests will want to make a bet or two on the Belmont. You can go about this in a number of ways: you can bet for bragging rights, or with real money. If you want to bet for real, there are plenty of legal online sites to help you; Belmont Park’s official betting site is NYRA Rewards, but if you want to shop around, you can see a complete list here. 

You can also make it simple and create a party pool, let guests draw a horse’s name out of a hat, or just let people pick their horse.

FASHION:

Horse racing is the rare sport that people love to dress up for; why not have a little fun with that by having a dress code, a contest to see who can tie a bowtie the fastest, or a hat contest? You could also go full costume party and challenge people to come as famous New Yorkers. The sky’s the limitwhen it comes to your Belmont Stakes party!

GAMES:

Why not throw a few games in the mix to keep your guests entertained during commercial breaks? You can play pin the tail on the racehorse, do trivia, check out our Big Race Bingo cards (they’ll be up soon!) or even make up your own games. I like the idea of an “Apples to Apples” approach: have some blank pieces of notepaper, and have your guests write down three nouns and three adjectives on separate slips of paper. Then, once everyone’s done, have people draw out a noun and an adjective each; then, presto! You have your racehorse name for the day. Depending on the level of maturity of your friend group, this could get very funny and very inappropriate very quickly.

Do you have suggestions for the perfect Belmont Stakes viewing party? Be sure to leave them in the comments!