NYRA Announced Belmont Park Spring Schedule

The 59-day 2015 Belmont Park spring/summer meet will include 60 stakes races valued at $18.55 million running from Apr. 29 to July 19 NYRA announced Friday. Anchoring the meet is the expanded 3-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival headlined by the $1.5 million GI Belmont S. June 6. The supporting card consists of five other Grade I races–the $1.25 million Metropolitan H., the $1 million Manhattan, the $1 million Ogden Phipps, the $750,000 Acorn and the $700,000 Longines Just a Game. The $500,000 GII Woody Stephens, the $400,000 GII Brooklyn Invitational, the $300,000 GIII Jaipur Invitational and the $150,000 Easy Goer complete the Saturday card. 

The Belmont Stakes Draw will be at Rockefeller Center in Manhattan June 3. Beginning June 4, the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival features the $150,000 Intercontinental S. and the $250,000 Astoria S. Five stakes races worth $1.2 million will be held June 5 consisting of the $300,000 GII New York, the $250,000 GII True North, the $250,000 Belmont Gold Cup Invitational, the $150,000 Jersey Girl and the $250,000 Tremont. 

“We are building our 2-year-old program out in a different direction and are pleased to offer the Tremont and Astoria as part of the new Belmont Stakes Racing Festival,” said Martin Panza, Senior Vice-President of Racing Operations for NYRA. “With the increase in purses, these are the two strongest juvenile races in the country in this time frame.” 

The second editions of the $1.25 million GI Belmont Derby and the $1 million Belmont Oaks highlight the Stars and Stripes Festival held July 4. The $400,000 GIII Belmont Sprint Championship, $500,000 GIII Dwyer and the $150,000 Victory Ride round out the Independence Day card. 

“We’re very proud of the inaugural Stars and Stripes Day as several of the participants went on to prominent seasons, including Adelaide, who later won the Grade I Secretariat and Australia’s [G1] Cox Plate for trainer Aidan O’Brien and Toast of New York, who was runner-up in both the GI Pacific Classic and GI Breeders’ Cup Classic,” said Panza. “We are confident this year’s festival will be even bigger and better.” 

Added Panza, “Heading into the second half of the year, there were no mile races for 3-year-olds. The addition of this race can only serve to strengthen our Stars and Stripes Day card.” 

The first graded-stakes of the meet are held May 2: the $200,000 GII Sheepshead Bay, the $150,000 GIII Westchester and the $150,000 GIII Fort Marcy. The $400,000 GI Man o’ War leads the May 9 card and is supported by the $250,000 GII Ruffian H., the $200,000 GII Peter Pan and the $150,000 Beaugay. The $900,000 New York Showcase Day for New York-breds–led by the $200,000 Commentator–is Memorial Day, May 25 and offers six stakes. The $300,000 GI Mother Goose will be June 27 and the meet end with three Empire State-bred stakes: the $100,000 Saginaw and the $125,000 Rockville Centre July 18 and the $125,000 Lynbrook July 19.