Saratoga summer meet will include 20 Grade 1 races
The New York Racing Association announced the stakes schedule for the 2026 summer meet at Saratoga, which will open Friday, July 3, and continue through Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7.
Highlighted by the 157th renewal of the Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers on Aug. 29 and the 99th edition of the Grade 1, $1 million Whitney on Aug. 8, the 46-day summer meet will offer 20 Grade 1 races among 73 stakes worth over $23.75 million in total purses.
The summer meet will begin with a special July 4th racing festival featuring the Belmont Derby (G1) and Belmont Oaks (G1). Typically held at Belmont Park, the July 4th festival will honor America’s 250th anniversary.
Following the three-day opening feekend, Friday, July 3, through sunday, July 5, live racing will be conducted Thursday-Sunday before the resumption of the five-day racing week beginning Wednesday, July 29. The 2026 summer meet will conclude with a six-day closing week from Wednesday, Sept. 2, through Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7.
With the new Belmont Park set to re-open on Sept. 18, this is the final year of adjustments to the customary schedule of racing at Saratoga. Beginning in 2027, Belmont Park will host the Belmont Stakes and July 4th racing festivals, and Saratoga will return to its traditional 40-day summer meet.
The Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) will return to its traditional home at Belmont Park in 2026 and will be the opening-day feature on Friday, Sept. 18. This follows a five-year period when the Gold Cup was held during the summer meet at Saratoga. Additionally, the Flower Bowl (G2) will return downstate and be held during the fall meet at Belmont Park on a date to be determined.
Saratoga will offer four Grade 1 events on Saturday, Aug. 8: the Whitney, Fourstardave, Saratoga Derby and Test.
As the centerpiece of the summer meet, Travers day will be held on Saturday, Aug. 29. The day will feature five Grade 1 events among nine stakes in total. In addition to the Travers (G1), the program will include fourt other Grade 1s: the Personal Ensign, Forego, H. Allen Jerkens Memorial and the Ballerina.
Saratoga will host the Belmont Stakes racing festival for the third and final time from Wednesday, June 3, through Sunday, June 7. Highlighted by the 158th edition of the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, June 6, the Belmont Stakes racing festival will include 10 Grade 1 races among 18 graded stakes.