Aqueduct winter meet will have 25 stakes worth $3.2 million

Topped by its usual trio of races for 3-year-olds hoping to jump on the Triple Crown trail, the New York Racing Association will offer 25 stakes worth $3.2 million at the 2023 Aqueduct winter meet that runs from Jan. 1 through March 26.

The NYRA 3-year-old series begins with the $150,000 Jerome, a one-turn mile on Jan. 7, and includes the Grade 3, $250,000 Withers Stakes, at 1 1/8 miles around two turns on Feb. 4, and the Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham, a one-turn mile on March 4. The top five finishers in the Jerome (10-4-3-2-1), Withers (20-8-6-4-2), and Gotham (50-25-15-10-5) will earn qualifying points toward the Kentucky Derby to be held May 6 at Churchill Downs.

Those races typically lead to the Grade 2 Wood Memorial, another points race that is likely to be run on April 8 though NYRA on Wednesday did not release its stakes schedule beyond March.

Three-year-old fillies get their chance to earn qualifying points to the Kentucky Oaks in the $100,000 Busanda, at 1 1/8 miles on Jan. 14, and the $200,000 Busher, a one-turn mile race on March 4. The Busanda offers its top five finishers points on a 20-8-6-4-2 basis, while the Busher’s top five finishers earn points on a 50-25-15-10-5 scale.

The Busher and the Grade 3, $150,000 Tom Fool Handicap, a six-furlong sprint, each had their purses cut by $50,000 for 2023. The Ladies Stakes, to be run New Year’s Day, had its purse increased by $50,000 to $150,000.

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Three stakes were eliminated from the schedule – the La Verdad and Hollie Hughes, sprint stakes for New York-bred females and males, respectively, and the Jazil Stakes, a race for older males. The La Verdad, which had only five runnings, went with four starters each of the last two years. The Hollie Hughes, which had 44 previous runnings, had fields of five and four the last two years. The Jazil, which had been run eight times, averaged five horses the last five years.

New York’s Claiming Championship Day, set for March 25, has been pared down from 10 starter races to six. Gone are the Caixa Eletronica, Xtra Heat, Belle Gallantey, and Kelly Kip. The six rremaining races total $380,000 in purses. Last year, the 10 starter races totaled $620,000 in purses.

The Jimmy Winkfield, a race for 3-year-olds scheduled for Feb. 11, will be run at six furlongs not seven. The Broadway, for New York-bred females on Feb. 12, will now be run at seven furlongs instead of six. The Damon Runyon and East View, for New York-bred 3-year-olds and 3-year-old fillies, respectively, will be run at six furlongs instead of seven.

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