NYRA Releases 2016 Racing Calendar
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The New York Racing Association has released its 2016 racing calendar, with 237 days of live racing at Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park, and Saratoga Race Course.
The 40-day summer meet at historic Saratoga Race Course that anchors the New York racing season will be highlighted by the grade I Whitney Aug. 6 and the 147th edition of the grade I Travers Stakes on Aug. 27. The Saratoga meet is slated to begin Friday, July 22, and conclude Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 5, with racing six days a week, Wednesday through Monday.
Racing on Aqueduct's inner track, which begins Dec. 9, will continue through March 26, 2016 on a schedule of four days a week during the months of January, February, and March.
The 19-day spring meet on Aqueduct's main track from March 31 through April 24 includes the circuit's first two grade I races of the year—the $1 million Wood Memorial and the $400,000 Carter Handicap on Saturday, April 9.
The 54-day spring/summer meet at Belmont Park begins Friday, April 29 and will be highlighted by the three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival that includes the 148th running of the grade I, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes on Saturday, June 11.
Also included in the Belmont spring/summer meet is the "Stars & Stripes Festival" featuring the grade I, $1.25 million Belmont Derby and the $1 million Belmont Oaks on Saturday, July 9. The spring/summer meet concludes on Sunday, July 17.
The Belmont Fall Championship meet will run 38 days from Friday, Sept. 9 through Sunday, Oct. 30. Two "Super Saturdays" are scheduled for Oct. 1 and Oct. 8, which features the grade I, $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup.
NYRA's racing calendar wraps up with 36 days of live racing at Aqueduct beginning Thursday, Nov. 4 and running through New Year's Eve, with a 10-day winter break from Monday, Dec. 19 through Wednesday, Dec. 28.
In a release, NYRA said the 2016 stakes schedule for Belmont Park and Saratoga will be announced shortly.