Belmont fall meet to reward turf stayers

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Turf races at 1 1/4 miles or longer will be worth $90,000 at Belmont Park this fall, continuing a program that began during the Belmont spring-summer meet, according to Martin Panza, vice president of racing operations for the New York Racing Association.

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At the spring meet, 19 such races were offered and 16 went, with 15 of them run on turf with an average field size of 9.0 horses. One of the 16 was transferred to the dirt and went with a six-horse field going 1 1/8 miles.

Panza said during the spring that he believes there is a growing desire among horsemen for long-distance turf racing in the U.S., and he’s happy to have NYRA leading the way in offering such races.