Aqueduct Racetrack's 2018 winter and spring meets will feature 51 stakes worth more than $7 million in purses, highlighted by the $750,000 GII Wood Memorial S. April 7.
The 2018 winter meet will feature four new stakes races: the $100,000 La Verdad for New York-bred fillies and mares at seven furlongs Jan. 6 and its male counterpart, the $100,000 Say Florida Sandy for New York-bred sprinters Jan. 13, the $100,000 Bridgetown for 3-year-old turf sprinters and the $100,000 Mizdirection for sophomore fillies sprinting on the grass April 14 and 15, respectively.
New York's “Road to the Kentucky Derby” kicks off with the $150,000 GIII Jerome S. New Year's Day, followed by the $250,000 GIII Withers S. Feb. 3, each worth 10-4-2-1 points to the top four finishers towards a spot in the Derby May 5 at Churchill Downs. The Jerome, previously run at a mile and 70 yards, will now be a one-turn mile and the Withers has been extended slightly from 1 1/16 miles to 1 1/8 miles. Next will be the$300,000 GIII Gotham S. (50-20-10-5 points) March 10, also a one-turn mile, as a precursor to the Wood Memorial (100-40-20-10 points) Apr. 7.
Aqueduct will also offer a series of GI Kentucky Oaks preps for fillies, starting with the Jan. 21 Busanda S., which has been stretched from a mile and 70 yards to 1 1/8 miles. That will be followed by the one-mile Busanda S. Mar. 3 and the GII Gazelle S. Apr. 7. Also on tap for the Apr. 7 card is the GI Carter H., the GIII Bay Shore S. and the GIII Excelsior S.
Rounding out the graded stakes for the 2018 Aqueduct spring meet are the GIII Distaff H. Apr. 8 and the GIII Top Flight Invitational H. Apr. 15. The $100,000 Memories of Silver for and the $100,000 New York Stallion Series Times Square Division will be on closing day of the spring meet at the Big A, Apr. 22, before live racing moves to Belmont Park Friday, Apr. 27.
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