Mandatory Empire 6 disbursals set

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The New York Racing Association has set mandatory payout dates for the Empire 6 wager for the remainder of the winter and spring Aqueduct meets.

Starting Feb. 9, there will be bi-weekly mandatory payouts in the Empire 6. The other mandatory payout dates will be Feb. 23, March 8, March 22, April 5, and April 19, closing day of the spring meet.

The Empire 6 is a minimum 20-cent wager that requires bettors to select the winner of the last six races on the card. On non-mandatory payout dates, the entire pool is paid out only if there is one ticket with all six winners. Otherwise, 75 percent of that day’s net pool is distributed to those who have selected the most winners in the sequence while 25 percent of the net pool is carried over.

Entering Friday’s Aqueduct card, there was a carryover of $259,159.

◗ Fort McHenry, a 3-year-old half-brother to two-time Horse of the Year California Chrome, can be yours for $50,000 on Sunday at Aqueduct. A son of Tapit who brought $1.1 million as a yearling, Fort McHenry has been gelded and is being offered for $50,000 in a starter allowance/first-level allowance going a mile Sunday.

Fort McHenry, trained by Todd Pletcher for Michael Tabor, Susan Magnier, and Derrick Smith, won a maiden special weight by 5 1/2 lengths at Gulfstream Park West on Nov. 2. He came back four weeks later in the Smooth Air Stakes at Gulfstream Park and finished ninth of 10 as the even-money favorite.