With a bevy of tweaks to purses, calendar placement, and the elimination of five stakes, the New York Racing Association on Wednesday released the 2023 Belmont Park spring/summer stakes schedule. A total of 54 stakes worth $15.575 million in purses will be offered during the 40-day meet that runs from May 4 through July 9. Last year, there were 59 stakes worth $16.95 million offered over 44 days. The NYRA reduced the purses of 12 graded stakes – including four Grade 1s – by a combined $1.325 million while increasing the purses of 13 Grade 3 or listed stakes by a combined $675,000. The $750,000 Belmont Derby and $500,000 Belmont Oaks – long-distance Grade 1 turf races for 3-year-olds and 3-year-old fillies – had their purses cut by $250,000 and $200,000, respectively. “We wanted to make that adjustment and that was allowing us to get back more money into the fund and then evaluate where we want to use that money,” said Frank Gabriel, NYRA’s senior vice president of racing operations. “While it’s a reduction, I think it’s still a substantial amount of money for a 3-year-old going a distance.” The Grade 1, $600,000 New York, the Grade 2, $250,000 Brooklyn, and the Grade 2, $250,000 Belmont Gold Cup each had their purses reduced by $150,000. The Grade 1, $600,000 Man o’ War and Grade 2 Bed o’ Roses each incurred $100,000 purse cuts. :: DRF Bets players have exclusive access to FREE DRF Past Performances - Classic or Formulator! Join today.  Conversely, NYRA added $25,000 to $150,000 to seven listed and six Grade 3 stakes. The Grade 3 Manila, a mile turf race for 3-year-olds, got a $150,000 increase to $250,000. Gabriel said increased purses of allowance races around the country made it important to raise the purses of these stakes. “The level of a purse you would offer in a listed race or a Grade 3 race should be at a level that can at least attract a horse to participate in your race and that hopefully will feed into the Grade 2s and Grade 1s,” Gabriel said. NYRA also made some adjustments to the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival (June 8-10). It moved the Acorn and Just a Game from the June 10 Belmont Stakes program to the previous day, combining it with the New York to have three Grade 1 races on the June 9 card. The $500,000 Acorn was lengthened from a mile to 1 1/16 miles, which Gabriel said he hopes could help attract horses coming out of the Kentucky Oaks and Black-Eyed Susan. “We’re hoping the Acorn can become an established race on that Friday program with the other Grade 1 filly races and, instead of putting everything on one day, trying to spread those days out to two or three days,” Gabriel said. “I think it will be a good program on Friday that we can get an attractive group of horses competing on that day.” The added distance of the Acorn was done in concert with the decision to move the Grade 2, $250,000 Mother Goose to the fall. The Mother Goose, typically run in late June, will this year be run on Oct. 28 at Aqueduct at 1 1/8 miles. :: Get Daily Racing Form Past Performances – the exclusive home of Beyer Speed Figures “We’re going to look at the Mother Goose where it’s at to feed off the Cotillion,” said Gabriel, referring to a Grade 1 race at Parx Racing at the end of September. “We expect the best 3-year-old fillies in the country are going to go to the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. If we can offer a solid Grade 2 race for the 3-year-old filly division to run against their own age group, we hope that can be an attractive race at the end of October.” NYRA moved the Poker Stakes, a Grade 3 mile turf race for older males, to the Belmont Stakes Day program, which will consist of nine stakes, six of which are Grade 1s topped by the $1.5 million Belmont, the third leg of the Triple Crown, the $1 million Metropolitan Handicap, and the $750,000 Manhattan. Gabriel said he expects to make some changes to the stakes program at Saratoga, but more so at the Belmont at the Big A and Aqueduct fall meets. The five stakes that were eliminated from the Belmont spring/summer meet are the Flat Out, Seek Again, Grand Couturier, River Memories, and Saginaw. The Tremont and Astoria Stakes for 2-year-olds and 2-year-old fillies, respectively, have been moved to the day after the Belmont Stakes. Gabriel said NYRA will offer $2,000 starter bonuses for all 2-year-old races offered at the Belmont meet. Horses stabled off NYRA property will receive a $1,000 shipping bonus as well in 2-year-old races. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.