Wood Memorial, Carter Handicap once again highlights of Aqueduct spring meet

Topped by the Grade 1 Carter Handicap and Grade 2 Wood Memorial, Aqueduct will offer 13 stakes worth $2.7 million at its 15-day spring meet, which runs from March 31 through April 24. The schedule virtually mirrors that of the 2021 spring season.

The $300,000 Carter, a seven-furlong race for 4-year-olds and up, and the $750,000 Wood, a points-scoring race for 3-year-olds attempting to make the May 7 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, will be run on April 9. Those two races share billing with the Grade 3, $250,000 Gazelle for 3-year-old fillies; the Grade 3, $200,000 Bay Shore for 3-year-old sprinters; the Grade 3, $150,00 Distaff Handicap for older female sprinters; and the $100,000 Danger’s Hour for 4-year-olds and up going a mile on turf.

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Should a winner of a Grade 1 or Group 1 race start in the Wood Memorial, the purse would be boosted to $1 million, an incentive program that began in 2018. The Wood, run at 1 1/8 miles, offers its top four finishers qualifying points (100-40-20-10) toward the Derby. The Gazelle, run at 1 1/8 miles, offers the same qualifying points for the May 6 Kentucky Oaks.

The Distaff had previously been run on the opening Friday of the meet. It has swapped places on the calendar with the Grade 3, $150,000 Excelsior for older males going 1 1/8 miles on dirt, which will be run April 2.

In addition to the Danger’s Hour, there are three other $100,000 turf stakes carded for the spring meet: the Plenty of Grace (April 16) for females 4 and up; the Woodhaven (April 23) for 3-year-olds, and the Memories of Silver (April 24) for 3-year-old fillies.

Racing at the spring meet will be conducted Thursdays through Sundays with the exception of Easter Sunday (April 17).

◗ A change to the New York Islanders schedule means there will be night home games on the first two days of the Belmont spring meet. The UBS Arena, which opened in November, is located in the backyard of Belmont.

The Islanders were scheduled to host their final regular-season game against Tampa Bay on April 28, opening day of the Belmont spring/summer meet. That game has been moved to April 29 while a Dec. 23 home game against Washington that was postponed due to COVID-19 issues, has been moved to April 28.