The New Look Belmont Stakes Schedule

 

Those of us who follow New York racing on a regular basis are used to getting the entire year’s stakes schedule in January, but in 2014 that was not the case.  When I asked the NYRA Press Office for the spreadsheet that is usually sent out I only got the schedule for the Aqueduct meeting. It turned out that changes were afoot.

 

Enter Martin Panza from Hollywood Park as the new Senior Vice President of Racing Operations for The New York Racing Association and it did not take long for a new look NYRA stakes schedule to appear.

 

The first news was the blockbuster changes to an already very special Belmont Stakes day. Enter the Belmont Stakes Festival to run from Friday to Sunday. Three days of racing that will include new stakes, five traditional events, and five graded stakes races that were moved from other important days.

 

On Friday, June 6, the inaugural Belmont Gold Cup Invitational will be on run on the turf course at the very unusual distance of two miles.

 

Belmont Stakes day will now have 10 stakes races with total purses of $7.7 million, second only to the Saturday card at the Breeders’ Cup. The biggest change was the move of the Met Mile from Memorial Day.

 

 

This change was met with a great deal of skepticism in the social media. I, however, look it at as a great innovation in a racing market that holds the cards that can easily be shuffled to produce a winning hand. New York should be the racing circuit that shows that change is both important and necessary if racing is going advance.

 

"We've put together the finest day of racing in Belmont Stakes history," said New York Racing Association CEO and President Chris Kay. "We want every serious and casual fan in the area to come out on June 7 and experience the excitement and fun of one of New York's truly signature sporting events."  

 

"This is the premier day of racing at Belmont Park, anchored by the historic Belmont Stakes," said Panza. "I see June 7 as a summer time Breeders' Cup-type event. Fans and New York horsemen deserve a day like this."

 

No doubt Panza’s Belmont Festival and his comment above refer to the fact that New York has not hosted the Breeders’ Cup Championships since 2005 and obviously will not do so in the near future.

 

Today, the rest of the stakes schedule was released and we got to see what would happen on Memorial Day after the move of the Met Mile. Also, the Fourth of July weekend will be enhanced with the addition of the new Belmont Derby, Belmont Oaks, and Belmont Sprint Championship.

 

It is fitting that as NYRA shuffles their stakes cards that Memorial Day will feature the Poker (G3) to be run at a mile on the turf for older horses. "We are hopeful that, given the lack of big money opportunities at a mile on the grass, the Poker could attract two-time defending Horse of the Year Champion Wise Dan," said Panza.

 

Also on the Memorial Day card will be the new stakes, the Perrine Ridge and the Wonder Again, which will serve as prep races for the Belmont Derby and Oaks. The top three finishers in those preps will be guaranteed invitations to the Derby and Oaks.

 

Saturday, July 5 will be Stars and Stripes Day at Belmont.  Both the $1,250,000 Belmont Derby (G1) and the $1,000,000 Belmont Oaks  (G1) will be run at ten furlongs on the turf for three year-old males and fillies respectively. The Sprint Championship (G3) will go at seven furlongs. Those new races have retained the gradings of the previously run Jamaica Handicap, Garden City, and James Marvin. The Dwyer and Suburban will give the card traditional offerings.