Fifty-four stakes races worth $15.57 million in total purses will highlight the 40-day Belmont spring/summer meet, which is scheduled to open Thursday, May 4 and continue through Sunday, July 9, the New York Racing Association announced Wednesday.
Highlighted by the 155th running of the $1.5 million GI Belmont S. presented by NYRA Bets on Saturday, June 10, the spring/summer meet will include 12 Grade I races, with nine of those contests scheduled during the three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival from Thursday, June 8 through Saturday, June 10. The Thursday-through-Sunday event features purses totaling $7.65 million.
The Belmont Stakes Day program June 10 will culminate with the 1 1/2-mile “Test of the Champion” and feature three Breeders' Cup “Win And You're In” qualifiers: the $1 million GI Hill 'N' Dale Metropolitan H. for 3-year-olds and up, going one mile on the dirt [GI BC Dirt Mile]; the $500,000 GI Ogden Phipps S. for older fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles on the main track [GI BC Distaff]; and the $400,000 GI Jaipur for 3-year-olds and up sprinting six furlongs on the grass [GI Turf Sprint].
Five additional graded events are slated for Belmont Stakes Day: the $400,000 GI Woody Stephens S. presented by Mohegan Sun for sophomores sprinting seven furlongs; the $750,000 GI Manhattan S. Resorts World Casino Manhattan for older horses traveling 1 1/4 miles on the turf; the $250,000 GII True North for older horses sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs; the $250,000 GII Brooklyn S. at 1 1/2 miles for older horses; and the $200,000 GIII Poker S. for older horses going one-mile on the grass, which has been moved up one week from its traditional spot in the schedule.
For the first time, FOX will present comprehensive live coverage and analysis of the Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets. In 2022, FOX Sports secured the exclusive media rights for the Belmont Stakes and Belmont Stakes Racing Festival through 2030. As part of the eight-year agreement, FOX Sports will expand national television coverage of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.
While the total Belmont Stakes purse remains at $1.5 million, NYRA will increase the money awarded to the winning connections from 53.3 percent to 60 percent, which will result in a winner's share of $900,000 compared with $800,000 in 2022. NYRA will continue to award Belmont Stakes purse money through eighth place with 18 percent to 2nd, 10 percent to 3rd, five percent to 4th, three percent to 5th, two percent to 6th and one percent to 7th and 8th.
The Belmont Stakes Racing Festival begins with two stakes on Thursday, June 8: the $200,000 GII Wonder Again S. for sophomore fillies traveling nine furlongs on the turf and the $150,000 Jersey Girl S., a Listed race for sophomore fillies sprinting six furlongs on the main track. The Jersey Girl has been previously run on the Sunday after the Belmont Stakes.
Friday, June 9 will include five graded stakes highlighted by a trio of Grade I events: the $600,000 GI New York S., the $500,000 GI Just a Game S. and the $500,000 GI Acorn S., which will be lengthened to 1 1/16 miles after it was previously run at one mile. The Just a Game and Acorn have been moved to Day 2 of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival after having been previously run on Belmont Stakes Day. In addition, the June 9 program will include the $250,000 GII Belmont Gold Cup and the $200,000 GIII Intercontinental S.
Following the conclusion of the three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, the high-quality racing continues Sunday, June 11 with two 5 1/2-furlong juvenile stakes, each offering new incentives for 2023. The $150,000 Tremont S. and its female counterpart, the $150,000 Astoria, both Listed events, will each offer a shipping bonus of $1,000 for horses stabled outside of NYRA racetracks, and a $2,000 bonus [$1,000 to the owner and $1,000 to the trainer] to each starter in the race.
The $250,000 GIII Manila S., a one-mile turf test for sophomores slated for Friday, July 7, has been upgraded from Listed status for 2023, and its purse increased by $150,000. The Manila will lead into a lucrative Saturday, July 8, card featuring two Grade I turf routes for sophomores: the $750,000 GI Belmont Derby Invitational and the $500,000 GI Belmont Oaks Invitational, both at 1 1/4 miles.
The July 8 card will also include the $350,000 GII Suburban S. for older horses going 1 1/4 miles and the $175,000 GIII Victory Ride for sophomore fillies sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs.
The spring/summer meet stakes action kicks off on Friday, May 5 with the $200,000 GII Sheepshead Bay for older fillies and mares going 1 3/8 miles on the turf and the $175,000 GIII Westchester for older horses at one-mile on the main track. The Affirmed Success, which has recently opened the stakes competition at Belmont, has been moved to April 30 and will close the spring meet at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Opening Weekend at Belmont continues with three more stakes on Saturday, May 6: the $200,000 GII Ruffian S., the $200,000 GII Fort Marcy S., and the $150,000 Elusive Quality S. Sunday, May 7 offers two additional stakes with the $175,000 GIII Beaugay S. and $150,000 License Fee S.
The following weekend will see the start of Grade I action at the spring/summer meet as the $600,000 GI Man o' War S., a 1 3/8-mile turf route for older horses, headlines a loaded Saturday, May 13 card. The day will also feature the $200,000 GIII Peter Pan for sophomores traveling nine furlongs and the $175,000 GIII Runhappy S. for older horses sprinting six furlongs.
The lucrative Man o' War card is bookended by the $150,000 Gold Fever S. for sophomores sprinting six furlongs on Friday, May 12 and the $175,000 GIII Vagrancy S. for older fillies and mares at 6 1/2 furlongs on Sunday, May 14. Stakes action resumes the following weekends with the $150,000 Paradise Creek S. on Saturday, May 20 and the $175,000 GIII Soaring Softly S. on Saturday, May 27.
New York-breds will take center stage on the Big Apple Showcase Day card slated for Memorial Day on Monday, May 29. The day will offer six state-bred stakes worth $900,000, headlined by a pair of $200,000 contests in the Critical Eye H. for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up at 1 1/16 miles, and the Commentator H. for 3-year-olds and up at the same distance. The Critical Eye and Commentator were previously contested at a distance of one-mile.
Big Apple Showcase Day will include a quartet of $125,000 contests–the Kingston S. at 1 1/16 miles on turf for older horses; the Mount Vernon S. for older fillies and mares traveling one-mile on the grass; the Mike Lee S. for sophomores sprinting seven furlongs; and the Bouwerie S. for sophomore fillies at seven furlongs.
The 40-day spring/summer meet will conclude on Sunday, July 9 before racing moves to historic Saratoga Race Course for the annual summer meet beginning Thursday, July 13.
The GII Mother Goose S., which has been traditionally contested during the Belmont spring/summer meet, will be run during the Belmont at the Big A fall meet in 2023.
For the 2023 Belmont spring/summer stakes schedule, visit NYRA.com/BelmontSpringSummer.
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