NYRA lays out year's remaining stakes

With only a few alterations, the New York Racing Association announced its stakes schedule for the remainder of 2011, encompassing the Belmont Park fall, Aqueduct fall, and the first month of the Aqueduct winter meets.

At Belmont, NYRA will offer 31 stakes – including 21 graded events – worth $6.2 million for the 37-day meet that runs Sept. 10 through Oct. 30. The marquee day will be Oct. 1 when Belmont hosts five Grade 1 events – the Jockey Club Gold Cup, Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational, Flower Bowl Invitational, Vosburgh, and Beldame – as well as the Grade 2 Kelso Handicap. Those six races, as well as the Grade 1 Champagne and Grade 1 Frizette – both scheduled for Oct. 8 – are Win and You’re In races for their respective Breeders’ Cup categories. The Kelso, run at one mile on dirt, had its purse cut from $250,000 to $200,000 because it no longer receives Breeders’ Cup funding.

The biggest change to the Belmont schedule involves moving the Nashua and Tempted – graded stakes for juveniles and juvenile fillies, respectively _ from Aqueduct to Belmont. Those races have been shortened from one mile to six furlongs in part to be used by horsemen as a prep for the newly-created Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Sprint. The Nashua and Tempted will be run on Oct. 2.

At Aqueduct, NYRA will offer 20 stakes – including nine graded events – worth $2.355 million from Nov. 4 through Dec. 31. The highlight of the meet will be Nov. 26, when Aqueduct hosts the Cigar Mile and Gazelle – both Grade 1 events – as well as the Grade 2 Remsen and Grade 2 Demoiselle.

NYRA has reinstated the Go for Wand to replace the Top Flight Handicap. The Go for Wand, formerly run at Saratoga at 1 1/8 miles, will be run at Aqueduct on Nov. 25 at one mile.