After moving the bulk of its major stakes during the early spring and summer on this circuit to Saratoga for a one-week meet June 6-9, the New York Racing Association will offer 32 stakes worth $6.625 million at the Belmont at the Big A spring/summer session, it was announced Tuesday. Due to the ongoing construction at Belmont Park, the spring/summer and fall meets typically held at Belmont are being conducted at Aqueduct in 2024 and likely 2025. The Belmont at the Big A meet runs from May 2 through July 7 and offers just two Grade 1 stakes – the $750,000 Belmont Derby for 3-year-olds and the $500,000 Belmont Oaks for 3-year-old fillies, both on turf. Those races will be held July 6, the penultimate day of the meet. Due to the difference in configuration of tracks between Aqueduct and Belmont, those races will be run at 1 3/16 miles instead of 1 1/4 miles. Five turf stakes typically run at seven furlongs – the Elusive Quality, Soaring Softly, Paradise Creek, and two divisions of the New York Stallion Series – will be run at six furlongs. The Grade 2 Brooklyn, typically run at 1 1/2 miles on dirt will be run at 1 3/8 miles. The Brooklyn, which will be run July 5, had its purse cut by $50,000 to $200,000. The Man o’ War, run at 1 3/8 miles on turf, lost its Grade 1 status beginning this year. The Grade 2 Man o’ War had its purse cut from $600,000 to $400,000, which was its value from 2014-17. The only other race to receive a purse cut at this meet is the Grade 2, $200,000 John Nerud, which incurred a $50,000 decrease. :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets. The Man o’ War tops a May 11 card that includes the Grade 3, $200,000 Peter Pan, the traditional local prep for the June 8 Belmont Stakes – which this year will be run at 1 1/4 miles at Saratoga – and the Grade 3, $175,000 Runhappy Stakes for older male sprinters. On May 4, Kentucky Derby Day, Aqueduct will host three stakes, including the Grade 3, $200,000 Sheepshead Bay _ formerly a Grade 2 – the Grade 2, $200,000 Ruffian, and the Grade 3, $175,000 Westchester. The July 6 card topped by the Belmont Derby and Oaks also includes the Grade 3, $200,000 Dwyer for 3-year-olds and the aforementioned John Nerud. Racing during the Belmont at the Big A meet will generally be held Thursdays through Sundays with a few exceptions. The Memorial Day weekend schedule will be Friday, May 24, through Monday, May 27. There will be a nine-day break before racing is moved to Saratoga for the four-day meet beginning June 6. Following that, racing returns to Aqueduct for four weeks, the first one being a three-day race week June 13-15. Racing moves to Saratoga beginning July 11 for its regular 40-day meet. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.