Belmont Announces Stakes Schedule

A total of 18 stakes worth more than $9.6 million will highlight Belmont Park's 54-day spring/summer meet when live racing commences at the track April 28.

The 149th running of the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes (G1), the oldest and longest leg of racing's Triple Crown, will serve as the centerpiece of the three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, from June 8-10. Bringing down the curtain on three days of racing, the 1 1/2-mile Belmont Stakes will be supported June 10 by eight additional graded stakes, including five grade 1 events: the $1.2 million Metropolitan Handicap at a mile, the $1 million Woodford Reserve Manhattan at 1 1/4 miles on the turf, the $750,000 Ogden Phipps for fillies and mares going 1 1/16 miles, the $700,000 Longines Just A Game for turf fillies and mares, and the $700,000 Acorn for 3-year-old fillies at a mile.

The purse of the Met Mile represents a decrease of $50,000 from the past three years, when it was contested for $1.25 million. Likewise, the Ogden Phipps' purse is lowered from the $1 million it had been run for since 2014.

Contributing to the Belmont Stakes Day undercard will be the $500,000 Woody Stephens (G2) for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs, the $400,000 Brooklyn Invitational (G2) for 4-year-olds and up going 1 1/2 miles, the $300,000 Jaipur Invitational (G3T) for turf sprinters 4-years-old and up at six furlongs and the $150,000, and 1 1/16-mile Easy Goer for sophomores.

 

With the Belmont Stakes draw scheduled for June 7 at Rockefeller Center in Manhattan, the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will kick off June 8, with a trio of stakes for fillies and mares: the $250,000 Intercontinental (G3T) for turf fillies and mares going seven furlongs, the $200,000 Wonder Again (G3T) for sophomores at 1 1/8 miles on the grass, and the $150,000 Astoria for 2-year-olds going 5 1/2 furlongs.

The Belmont Stakes Racing Festival continues June 9 with six more stakes, topped by the $500,000 New York (G2) for turf fillies and mares at 1 1/4 miles, the $250,000 True North (G2) for older sprinters, and the $400,000 Belmont Gold Cup Invitational (G3) at two miles on the turf.

The second major event of the Belmont spring/summer meet will be the return of the popular "Stars & Stripes Festival" July 8. Launched in 2014, the internationally themed day will once again feature a pair of prestigious grade 1 races on the turf for 3-year-olds in the $1.2 million Belmont Derby Invitational and the $1 million Belmont Oaks Invitational for fillies, both at 1 1/4 miles.

The purse of the Belmont Derby represents a $50,000 decrease from the past three seasons.

Three additional graded stakes round out the card, including the $400,000 Dwyer (G3) for 3-year-olds at a mile, a decrease of $100,000 from 2016; the $350,000 Belmont Sprint Championship (G2), which had its purse decreased by $50,000; and the Suburban Handicap (G2) at 1 1/4 miles, which has its purse raised from $500,000 to $750,000 for 2017.

The $100,000 Lynbrook for New York-breds will put the final touches on the Belmont spring/summer meet July 16, before live racing moves to Saratoga Race Course July 21.