Belmont Stakes Purses Slashed for Upcoming Fall Meet

Stakes purses will be sharply reduced for Belmont Park's fall meet that begins Sept. 18 and continues through Nov. 1, according to a schedule released Aug. 19 by the New York Racing Association. Thirty-eight stakes worth approximately $5.6 million will take place over a 27-day meet in which racing will mostly be conducted on a Thursday-through-Sunday basis.

Last year's meet encompassed 45 stakes worth $11.5 million, but the purse account is not as flush heading into this fall. Struggling from the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on its business, NYRA plans to reduce race days at Aqueduct Racetrack and Belmont Park to maintain purse account stability.

Precious: NYRA to Reduce Race Days at Aqueduct, Belmont Park

The Belmont Park fall meet has traditionally opened on the Friday following Labor Day. Due to the continued impact of COVID-19, NYRA adjusted the schedule by adding a one-week break following the conclusion of the summer meet at Saratoga Race Course. 

"This new fall schedule is the result of a collaborative effort between NYRA, the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, and the New York Thoroughbred Breeders to modify our racing calendar in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on the industry," NYRA president and CEO Dave O'Rourke said in a news release. "I'd like to thank the horsemen and breeders for their common-sense approach to solving the challenges brought about by this unprecedented public health crisis." 

New York state currently requires all racetracks to operate without spectators in attendance to combat the spread of COVID-19.

Beyond the loss of on-track handle, purses have been affected by the casino at Aqueduct remaining closed.

Though the meet will be highlighted by 22 graded stakes, featuring seven grade 1s and seven Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" qualifiers to the Breeders' Cup Nov. 6-7 at Keeneland, reductions to their values were significant. Four graded stakes—the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Stakes (G1T), Champagne Stakes (G1), Flower Bowl Stakes (G1T), and Hill Prince Stakes (G2T)—dropped $250,000 from their 2019 levels, and the historic Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (G1) plunged by $500,000.

The latter race, annually one of the leading preps into the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), carried a $750,000 purse in 2019 when it was won by Code of Honor via the disqualification of Vino Rosso , who later won the Classic. This year, the 1 1/4-mile dirt race is worth $250,000, the co-richest of the fall at Belmont.

Six other stakes races are worth $250,000, including two, the Sept. 19 Belmont Oaks Invitational Stakes (G1T) and Oct. 3 Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes (G1T), that were repositioned on the calendar. They were not run this spring after Belmont delayed its opening due to the pandemic. 

The stakes will begin opening day with the $80,000 Miner's Mark Stakes at 1 1/2 miles, which leads into the first of the meet's grade 1s the following day with the Belmont Oaks.

The following Saturday, Sept. 26, will be highlighted by the $150,000 Vosburgh Stakes (G2) and the $100,000 Noble Damsel Stakes (G3T). The next two Saturdays, Oct. 3 and Oct. 10, feature five graded stakes apiece, and four of the five stakes on the Oct. 10 card are grade 1s.

The track will race one Monday on Columbus Day, Oct. 12, during which it will stage the $150,000 Hill Prince and the $150,000 Knickerbocker Stakes (G2T). Belmont will not race that following Thursday, Oct. 15, and will resume racing Friday, Oct. 16.

"America's Day at the Races" will present daily television coverage of the fall meet on Fox Sports and MSG Networks. 

Updated guidance regarding COVID-19 health and safety protocols for jockeys, trainers, and owners will be announced in the near future, NYRA said.