Aqueduct sets winter-meet schedule with 20 stakes on tap
The New York Racing Association announced the stakes schedule for the 2026 winter meet at Aqueduct, with 20 stakes races worth more than $3.1 million in total purses.
The 2026 Aqueduct winter meet will open Wednesday, Jan. 1, and continue through Sunday, March 30. Except for Jan. 8, live racing will be conducted Thursday-Sunday until Feb. 15 and Friday-Sunday from Feb. 20 through the end of March. The winter meet will offer 45 live race days in total.
Stakes action at the Big A winter meet kicks off on Saturday, Jan. 3, with a pair of $150,000 stakes at a one-turn mile, including the Busanda for sophomore fillies, previously contested at nine furlongs, that will offer 20-10-6-4-2 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points to the top five finishers. Also featured is the Jerome, which will be the first of three Kentucky Derby prep races at the meet, offering 10-5-3-2-1 qualifying points to the top five finishers.
The $135,000 Ladies at nine furlongs for older fillies and mares headlines the Saturday, Jan. 17, program, and the following week will offer the $135,000 Interborough on Jan. 24 as older fillies and mares sprint seven furlongs.
A trio of stakes feature on Saturday, Jan. 31, is led by the listed $200,000 Withers at nine furlongs offering 20-10-6-4-2 Kentucky Derby qualifying points and the listed $150,000 Toboggan, a seven-furlong sprint for older horses. Also offered on the card is the $135,000 Ruthless, a seven-furlong sprint for sophomore fillies.
New York-breds are the focus of the Saturday, Feb. 7, program with a pair of seven-furlong sprints worth $135,000 in the Damon Runyon for sophomores and the East View for 3-year-old fillies. The Saturday, Feb. 14, card will see older state-breds sprint seven furlongs in the $135,000 Say Florida Sandy.
The centerpiece of the winter meet stakes calendar is the Saturday, Feb. 28, card offering four stakes, led by the one-mile, $300,000 Gotham (G3), providing 50-25-15-10-5 Kentucky Derby qualifying points. The Gotham day card includes the Grade 3, $175,000 Tom Fool for 4-year-olds and up going six furlongs, the listed $150,000 Stymie at one mile for older horses, and the listed one-mile, $200,000 Busher for 3-year-old fillies, offering 50-25-15-10-5 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points.
The March calendar will feature six stakes, beginning with the $135,000 Correction, a six-furlong sprint for older fillies and mares on March 1. Saturday, March 7, showcases New York-breds traveling a one-turn mile with the $135,000 Gander for sophomores and the $135,000 Maddie May for 3-year-old fillies.
Saturday, March 14, is topped by the $135,000 Jimmy Winkfield, a six-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds.
Sunday, March 29, will offer the $135,000 Haynesfield, a one-turn mile for older state-bred horses; and the listed nine-furlong $175,000 Top Flight for older fillies and mares.
The full 2026 calendar of live race dates at NYRA is subject to New York State Gaming Commission approval, which remains pending.