Aqueduct adds a Thursday make-up day to its winter meet

Following the approval of the New York State Gaming Commission, the New York Racing Association added a Thursday, Feb. 29, card to the winter meet at Aqueduct.

NYRA, with the support of the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association and the New York Thoroughbred Breeders, requested to add the additional card following the cancellation of the Jan. 20 and Jan. 21 cards at Aqueduct because of arctic temperatures.

Live racing at Aqueduct currently is being conducted Fridays through Sundays. Aqueduct will host a Presidents’ Day card on Monday, Feb. 19, with four-day race weeks to resume Feb. 29.

The Aqueduct winter meet, originally scheduled for 47 days, began on Jan. 1 and continues through Saturday, March 30. It features 26 stakes races worth $3.5 million in purses.

Aqueduct will host three more stakes that offer qualifying points for Kentucky Derby 2024. The Grade 3 Withers on Saturday offers 20-10-6-4-2 points to the top five finishers, and the Gotham (G3) on March 2 offers 50-25-15-10-5. The Wood Memorial (G2) on April 6 offers 100-50-25-15-10 points.