Derby preps, Suburban among stakes moved to Belmont synthetic track
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ELMONT, N.Y. – The Red Smith and Suburban, longtime stakes on this circuit previously run on turf and dirt, respectively, will join traditional 3-year-old stakes the Withers and Gotham as races that will be conducted on the new Tapeta track at the 2026-27 Belmont Park winter meet, the New York Racing Association announced Wednesday.
The Red Smith, for males 3 years old and up, traditionally run at 1 3/8 miles on turf in November, will now be run at 1 3/16 miles on Tapeta on Dec. 26. The Suburban, for older males typically run at 1 1/4 miles on dirt in July, will now be run at 1 1/8 miles over the Tapeta on Feb. 20.
The Feb. 20 card also will include the Grade 3 Gotham Stakes, a Kentucky Derby points-scoring race that typically had been run at one mile on dirt. The Gotham, which offers its winner 50 qualifying points to the Derby, will be run at 1 1/8 miles. The Gotham had its purse increased to $400,000 from $300,000.
The Gotham will be run five weeks after the Withers, which will be held Jan. 16. The Withers, which offers its winner 20 qualifying Derby points, will be shortened from 1 1/8 miles to 1 1/16 miles and had its purse cut by $25,000 to $175,000. NYRA had previously announced it was not in 2027 carding the Jerome, another Derby points-scoring race for 3-year-olds typically held at one mile during the first week in January.
The Withers and Gotham lead to the Grade 2 Wood Memorial, which will remain on dirt, though the Belmont spring schedule was not announced Wednesday. The Wood Memorial has typically been run the first weekend in April, but with the earlier scheduling of the Gotham it seems possible the Wood date could be moved as well.
All totaled, there will be 28 stakes worth $5.65 million offered during the winter meet that begins Dec. 10 when all racing will switch to the Tapeta track. NYRA has not set an end date for the winter meet though its last winter stakes race is scheduled for March 14.
The Red Smith will be part of a five-stakes program Dec. 26. Four of those stakes are part of the Empire Trillium Series, which features New York-breds and Canadian-breds facing each other in races run at Belmont in the winter and Woodbine in the spring.
In addition to the Gotham and Suburban, the Feb. 20 card will include the Grade 3 Tom Fool, the Busher for 3-year-old fillies with Kentucky Oaks aspirations, and the Top Flight and Correction for older females at 1 1/16 miles and six furlongs, respectively.
In somewhat odd scheduling, the Thunder Rumble and Staten Island divisions of the New York Stallion Series for 3-year-olds will be run Jan. 23 and at 5 1/2 furlongs. In 2026, those same races are being run Nov. 22 for 3-year-olds-and-up at seven furlongs on dirt.
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