Aqueduct fall meet will have less turf racing

There will be turf racing at the Aqueduct fall meet, just less of it.

Owing to a wet fall and the fact 107 races have already been run over the Aqueduct turf courses the last seven weeks, the New York Racing Association will reduce the number of turf races it is scheduling during the first month of the Aqueduct fall meet that begins Friday.

According to Glen Kozak, NYRA vice president/director of racing surfaces, approximately 10 inches of rain fell in the Metropolitan area during the seven weeks that the Belmont at the Big A meet was being run. During those 28 race days, NYRA still conducted 107 turf races while taking 27 off the turf and running them on the main track.

Thus, 19 races written for the turf in the condition book from Nov. 4-27 (15 days of racing), will now be written for dirt. There are four turf races scheduled for Friday’s 10-race card.

“We’re managing the course for the time of year because of not only the rainfall we had in September-October but getting on the track at Aqueduct [already] this fall,” Kozak said. “At this point, we’re usually wrapping up at Belmont and going over to two fresh courses.”

:: DRF Bets members get FREE DRF Past Performances - Formulator or Classic. Join now!

The 19 races that have been moved to the dirt – some at different distances – were all maiden, allowance, or claiming races. None of the 12 scheduled turf stakes – including Saturday’s Atlantic Beach and Stewart Manor, both for 2-year-olds – are being impacted.

The two graded turf stakes scheduled to be run this fall are the Grade 3, $300,0000 Long Island on Nov. 25 and the Grade 2, $300,000 Red Smith on Nov. 26. Each race is scheduled for 1 3/8 miles.

This year, due to construction at Belmont, that track’s 28-day meet was run at Aqueduct. Kozak noted there were days when the turf courses were being utilized when it was raining, which can do more damage to the courses.

“There’s only so many races in every turf course,” Kozak said. “Weather hampers how many races you can run. Now, we’re managing the weather with what we’ve seen in September or October.”

The forecast for the first three days of the Aqueduct fall meet calls for dry conditions.

The Aqueduct fall meet, which runs through Dec. 31, will feature 33 stakes worth over $6.4 million. The biggest day of the meet is Dec. 3, when the Grade 1, $750,000 Cigar Mile is run on a card that includes the Grade 2, $250,000 Remsen; Grade 2, $250,000 Demoiselle; and the Grade 3, $200,000 Go for Wand Handicap.

After the Cigar Mile, the richest races of the fall meet are the Great White Way and Fifth Avenue divisions of the New York Stallion Series for 2-year-old progeny of New York-based stallions. Each race is worth $500,000.

Post times for opening weekend will vary on the first two days of the meet due to the Breeders’ Cup being run at Keeneland. First post Friday is 11:35 a.m. and Saturday it’s 10:50 a.m. Typically, first post on nine-race cards will be 12:20 p.m., 12:50 for eight race cards, and 11:50 a.m. for 10-race programs.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.