Belmont boosts Man o' War, Peter Pan purses

The Grade 1 Man o’ War and the Grade 3 Peter Pan both received significant purse increases and are part of a five-stakes card May 12 at Belmont Park as the New York Racing Association seeks to add another big day to the Belmont spring-summer meet.

The Man o’ War, for older males at 1 3/8 miles on the turf, had its purse increased to $700,000 from $400,000, and the Peter Pan, for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles on dirt, had its purse raised to $350,000 from $200,000. The two races are part of a May 12 card that has five stakes worth a total of $1.6 million. The Grade 3, $200,000 Vagrancy, for female sprinters, was moved to that card, supplanting the Grade 2, $250,000 Ruffian, which was moved to May 6. Also to be run May 12 day are the Grade 3, $200,000 Beaugay for female turf horses and the $150,000 Runhappy (formerly the Diablo) for older male sprinters, which both received $50,000 purse hikes.

The Man o’ War gives horses a lucrative stepping-stone toward the Grade 1, $1 million Manhattan, while the Peter Pan has historically been the local prep for the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes, the third leg of the Triple Crown. Those two races are part of a June 9 program that will have 10 stakes races and is typically the highlight of the Belmont spring-summer meet. Tickets for the three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival (June 7-9) will go on sale Jan. 25.

The Grade 2 Jaipur, a popular turf sprint stakes for males on the Belmont Stakes undercard, received a $100,000 purse hike to $400,000. Conversely, the Grade 2 Woody Stephens, for 3-year-old dirt sprinters, had its purse reduced by $100,000 to $400,000.

The Grade 2 New York Stakes, for females at 1 1/4 miles on turf, had its purse increased to $600,000 from $500,000 and is part of a five-stakes program June 8, part of the three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival. As recently as 2011, the purse for the New York was $150,000.

The Grade 3 Dwyer Stakes, another race for 3-year-olds at a one mile, had its purse reduced to $300,000 from $400,000. That race is part of a July 7 Stars and Stripes card that is topped by the $1.2 million Belmont Derby, for 3-year-olds on turf, and the $1 million Belmont Oaks, for 3-year-old fillies on turf. The Grade 2 Suburban, also July 7, had its purse cut by $50,000 to $700,000.

The 54-day Belmont spring-summer meet runs from April 27 through July 15.

DATE	RACE	GR.	'18 PURSE	AGE	DISTANCE
Fri., Apr. 27	Affirmed Success (NYB)		$100,000	4&UP	6 Furlongs
Sat., Apr. 28	Elusive Quality		$125,000	4&UP	7 Furlongs (T)
Sun., Apr. 29	License Fee		$125,000	F&M 4&UP	6 Furlongs (T)
Fri., May 4	Flat Out		$100,000	4&UP	1 3/8
Sat., May 5	Sheepshead Bay	II	$200,000	F&M 4&UP	1 3/8 (Turf)
Sat., May 5	Westchester	III	$200,000	4&UP	1 Mile
Sat., May 5	Fort Marcy	III	$150,000	4 & UP	1 1/8 (Turf)
Sun., May 6	Ruffian	II	$250,000	F&M 4&UP	1 Mile
Sat., May 12	Man o' War	I	$700,000	4&UP	1 3/8 (Turf)
Sat., May 12	Peter Pan	III	$350,000	3YO	1 1/8
Sat., May 12	Beaugay	III	$200,000	F&M 4&UP	1 1/16 (Turf)
Sat., May 12	Vagrancy	III	$200,000	F&M 4&UP	6 1/2 Furlongs
Sat., May 12	Runhappy		$150,000	4&UP	6 Furlongs
Sun., May 13	Gold Fever		$100,000	3YO	6 Furlongs
Sat., May 19	Soaring Softly	III	$100,000	F3YO	7 Furlongs (T)
Sat., May 26	Paradise Creek		$100,000	3YO	7 Furlongs (T)
Mon., May 28	Commentator (NYB)		$200,000	3&UP	1 Mile
Mon., May 28	Critical Eye (NYB)		$200,000	F&M 3&UP	1 Mile
Mon., May 28	Kingston (NYB)		$125,000	3&UP	1 Mile (Turf)
Mon., May 28	Mount Vernon (NYB)		$125,000	F&M 3&UP	1 Mile (Turf)
Mon., May 28	Mike Lee (NYB)		$125,000	3YO	7 Furlongs
Mon., May 28	Bouwerie (NYB)		$125,000	F3YO	7 Furlongs
Sat., June 2	Pennine Ridge	III	$200,000	3YO	1 1/8 (Turf)
Thurs., June 7	Intercontinental	III	$200,000	F&M 4&UP	7 Furlongs (T)
Thurs., June 7	Wonder Again	III	$200,000	F3YO	1 1/8 (Turf)
Thurs., June 7	Astoria		$150,000	F2YO	5 1/2 Furlongs
Fri., June 8	New York	II	$600,000	F&M 4&UP	1 1/4 (Turf)
Fri., June 8	Belmont Gold Cup Invitational	II	$400,000	4&UP	2 Miles (Turf)
Fri., June 8	True North	II	$250,000	4&UP	6 1/2 Furlongs
Fri., June 8	Bed o' Roses Invitational	III	$250,000	F&M 4&UP	7 Furlongs
Fri., June 8	Tremont		$150,000	2YO	5 1/2 Furlongs
Sat., June 9	Belmont Stakes	I	$1,500,000	3YO	1 1/2
Sat., June 9	Metropolitan Handicap	I	$1,200,000	3&UP	1 Mile
Sat., June 9	Woodford Reserve Manhattan	I	$1,000,000	4&UP	1 1/4 (Turf)
Sat., June 9	Ogden Phipps	I	$750,000	F&M 4&UP	1 1/16
Sat., June 9	Acorn	I	$700,000	F3YO	1 Mile
Sat., June 9	Longines Just A Game	I	$700,000	F&M 4&UP	1 Mile (Turf)
Sat., June 9	Woody Stephens	II	$400,000	3YO	7 Furlongs
Sat., June 9	Brooklyn Invitational	II	$400,000	4&UP	1 1/2
Sat., June 9	Jaipur Invitational	II	$400,000	4&UP	6 Furlongs (T)
Sat., June 9	Easy Goer		$150,000	3YO	1 1/16
Sun., June 10	Jersey Girl		$150,000	F3YO	6 Furlongs
Sat., June 16	Dancin Renee (NYB)		$100,000	F&M 3&UP	6 Furlongs
Sun., June 17	Poker	III	$300,000	4&UP	1 Mile (Turf)
Sat., June 23	Wild Applause		$100,000	F3YO	1 Mile (Turf)
Sun., June 24	NYSS Cupecoy's Joy Division		$100,000	F3YO	7 Furlongs (T)
Sun., June 24	NYSS Spectacular Bid Division		$100,000	3YO	7 Furlongs (T)
Sat., June 30	Mother Goose	II	$250,000	F3YO	1 1/16
Sat., June 30	Perfect Sting		$100,000	F&M 4&UP	1 Mile (Turf)
Sun., July 1	Saginaw (NYB)		$100,000	4&UP	1 1/16
Wed., July 4	Manila		$100,000	3YO	1 Mile (Turf)
Fri., July 6	State Dinner		$100,000	4&UP	1 1/16
Sat., July 7	Belmont Derby Invitational	I	$1,200,000	3YO	1 1/4 (Turf)
Sat., July 7	Belmont Oaks Invitational	I	$1,000,000	F3YO	1 1/4 (Turf)
Sat., July 7	Suburban	II	$700,000	4&UP	1 1/4
Sat., July 7	Belmont Sprint Championship	II	$350,000	3&UP	7 Furlongs
Sat., July 7	Dwyer	III	$300,000	3YO	1 Mile
Sun., July 8	Victory Ride	III	$150,000	F3YO	6 1/2 Furlongs
Sun., July 8	River Memories		$100,000	F&M 4&UP	1 1/2 (Turf)
Sat., July 14	Forbidden Apple		$150,000	4&UP	1 Mile (Turf)
Sat., July 14	Rockville Centre (NYB)		$100,000	2YO	6 Furlongs
Sun., July 15	Lynbrook (NYB)		$100,000	F2YO	6 Furlongs