Belmont scraps overnight stakes program

The New York Racing Association has eliminated its overnight stakes program for the upcoming Belmont Park spring/summer meet and will use that money -- nearly $2.2 million -- to increase purses for open-company races. Belmont's 59-day meet opens April 30.

Purses for open-company maiden and allowance races will go up by $10,000 from what they were worth at Aqueduct. The new purses reflect a $7,000 increase when compared to last year's Belmont spring/summer meet. Purses for claiming races will go up $5,000, and maiden claimers will go up by $3,000 from Aqueduct.