Belmont Stakes week gets boost

A bulked up Belmont Stakes week, another change to Memorial Day, and an addition to the Stars and Stripes Festival highlight the 2015 Belmont Park spring-summer meet, which includes 60 stakes worth a total of $18.55 million.

The 59-day Belmont season runs from April 29 through July 19.

In 2014, the New York Racing Association put its primary focus on Belmont Stakes Day, carding 10 stakes on that program. In 2015, NYRA also will try to emphasize the days leading up to the Belmont by putting two stakes on the Thursday card and five on the Friday program of Belmont week.

Those cards will include the Astoria (Thursday, June 4) and Tremont (Friday, June 5) for 2-year-old fillies and 2-year-olds, respectively, each with a purse of $250,000. Each had a purse of $100,000 last year, the first time in six years those races were run. The June 4 card will also include the Intercontinental, a seven-furlong turf sprint for fillies and mares which will be worth $150,000, an increase of $50,000 from 2014.

The June 5 card will be topped by the Grade 2 New York Stakes, a 1 1/4 mile turf race for fillies and mares worth $300,000, a $100,000 increase from 2014. Also to be run that day are the Grade 2, $250,000 True North, a sprint for 4-year-olds and up; the $200,000 Belmont Gold Cup Invitational, a two-mile turf race for 4-year-olds and up: and the $150,000 Jersey Girl for 3-year-old filly sprinters.

Those cards lead into the June 6 Belmont Stakes program, which will once again feature 10 stakes – five of them Grade 1’s – topped by the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes, the third leg of the Triple Crown. The other Grade 1 races on the card are the $1.25 million Metropolitan Handicap, the $1 million Manhattan, the $1 million Ogden Phipps and the $700,000 Just a Game (down $50,000 from 2014). The Grade 2 Brooklyn Invitational, also run that day, had its purse reduced to $400,000 from $500,000.

In 2014, the Met Mile and Ogden Phipps were moved from the Memorial Day card, and they were replaced by the Grade 3 Poker and two listed stakes.

In 2015, Memorial Day (May 25) will be New York Showcase Day, with an entire card restricted to races for New York-breds, including six stakes.

In 2014, NYRA held the inaugural Stars and Stripes Festival, a five-stakes card topped by the $1.25 million Belmont Derby Invitational and $1 million Belmont Oaks Invitational, turf races for 3-year-olds and 3-year-old fillies, respectively. This year’s Stars and Stripes Festival, run on July 4, will have six stakes, with the Grade 3, $150,000 Victory Ride Stakes for 3-year-old filly sprinters added to the mix.

DATE	EVENT	CONDITIONS	DISTANCE	PURSE
Wed., April 29	ELUSIVE QUALITY	4YO & up	7 furlongs (T)	$100,000
Fri., May 1	GOLD FEVER	3YO	6 furlongs	100,000
Fri., May 1	LICENSE FEE	F-M, 4YO & up	6 furlongs (T)	100,000
Sat., May 2	WESTCHESTER (G3)	4YO & up	1 mile	150,000
Sat., May 2	FORT MARCY (G3)	4YO & up	1 1/8 miles (T)	150,000
Sat., May 2	SHEEPSHEAD BAY (G2)	F-M 4YO & up	1 3/8 miles (T)	200,000
Sun., May 3	AFFIRMED SUCCESS	4YO & up*	6 furlongs	100,000
Sat., May 9	MAN O’ WAR (G1)	4YO & up	1 3/8 miles (T)	400,000
Sat., May 9	RUFFIAN H. (G2)	F-M 4YO & up	1 mile	250,000
Sat., May 9	PETER PAN (G2)	3YO	1 1/8 miles	200,000
Sat., May 9	BEAUGAY (G3)	F-M 4YO & up	1 1/16 miles (T)	150,000
Sun., May 10	DIABLO	4YO & up	6 furlongs	100,000
Sat., May 16	VAGRANCY H. (G3)	F-M 4YO & up	6 1/2 furlongs	150,000
Sat., May 16	WAIT A WHILE	3YO F	7 furlongs (T)	100,000
Sat., May 23	PARADISE CREEK	3YO	7 furlongs (T)	100,000
Mon., May 25	COMMENTATOR	3YO & up*	1 mile	200,000
Mon., May 25	CRITICAL EYE	F-M 3YO & up*	1 mile	200,000
Mon., May 25	KINGSTON STAKES	3YO & up*	1 mile (T)	125,000
Mon., May 25	MOUNT VERNON	F-M 3YO & up*	1 mile (T)	125,000
Mon., May 25	MIKE LEE	3YO*	7 furlongs	125,000
Mon., May 25	BOUWERIE	3YO F*	7 furlongs	125,000
Sat., May 30	PENNINE RIDGE	3YO	1 1/8 miles (T)	200,000
Sun., May 31	WONDER AGAIN	3YO	F 1 1/8 miles (T)	200,000
Thu., June 4	ASTORIA	2YO F	5 1/2 furlongs	250,000
Thu., June 4	INTERCONTINENTAL	F-M 4YO & up	7 furlongs (T)	150,000
Fri., June 5	NEW YORK (G2)	F-M 4YO & up	1 1/4 miles (T)	300,000
Fri., June 5	BELMONT GOLD CUP INVITATIONAL	4YO & up	2 miles (T)	250,000
Fri., June 5	TREMONT	2YO	5 1/2 furlongs	250,000
Fri., June 5	TRUE NORTH (G2)	4YO & up	6 furlongs	250,000
Fri., June 5	JERSEY GIRL	3YO F	6 furlongs	150,000
Sat., June 6	BELMONT (G1)	3YO	1 1/2 miles	1.5 million
Sat., June 6	METROPOLITAN H. (G1)	3YO & up	1 mile	1.25 million
Sat., June 6	MANHATTAN (G1)	4YO & up	1 1/4 miles (T)	1 million
Sat., June 6	OGDEN PHIPPS (G1)	F-M 4YO & up	1 1/16 miles	1 million
Sat., June 6	ACORN (G1)	3YO F	1 mile	750,000
Sat., June 6	JUST A GAME (G1)	F-M 4YO & up	1 mile (T)	700,000
Sat., June 6	WOODY STEPHENS (G2)	3YO	7 furlongs	500,000
Sat., June 6	BROOKLYN INVITATIONAL (G2)	4YO & up	1 1/2 miles	400,000
Sat., June 6	JAIPUR INVITATIONAL (G3)	4YO & up	6 furlongs (T)	300,000
Sat., June 6	EASY GOER	3YO	1 1/16 miles	150,000
Sat., June 13	POKER H. (G3)	4YO & up	1 mile (T)	300,000
Sun., June 14	WILD APPLAUSE	3YO F	1 mile (T)	100,000
Sat., June 20	BED O’ ROSES (G3)	F-M 4YO & up	7 furlongs	150,000
Sun., June 21	NYSS SPECTACULAR BID	3YO	7 furlongs (T)	100,000
Sun., June 21	NYSS CUPECOY’S JOY	3YO F	7 furlongs (T)	100,000
Sat., June 27	MOTHER GOOSE (G1)	3YO F	1 1/16 miles	300,000
Sun., June 28	DANCING RENEE*	F-M 3YO & up	6 furlongs	100,000
Fri., July 3	PERFECT STING	F-M 4YO & up	1 mile (T)	100,000
Sat., July 4	BELMONT DERBY (G1)	3YO	1 1/4 miles (T)	1.25 million
Sat., July 4	BELMONT OAKS (G1)	3YO F	1 1/4 miles (T)	1 million
Sat., July 4	SUBURBAN H. (G2)	4YO & up	1 1/4 miles	500,000
Sat., July 4	DWYER (G3)	3YO	1 mile	500,000
Sat., July 4	BELMONT SPRINT CHAMPIONSHIP (G3)	3YO & up	7 furlongs	400,000
Sat., July 4	VICTORY RIDE (G3)	3YO F	6 1/2 furlongs	150,000
Sun., July 5	RIVER MEMORIES	4YO & up	1 1/2 miles (T)	100,000
Sat., July 11	FORBIDDEN APPLE	4YO & up	1 mile (T)	150,000
Sun., July 12	MANILA	3YO	1 mile (T)	100,000
Sat., July 18	SAGINAW	4YO & up*	1 1/16 miles	100,000
Sat., July 18	ROCKVILLE CENTRE	2YO*	6 furlongs	125,000
Sun., July 19	LYNBROOK	2YO F*	6 furlongs	125,000