2024 Belmont at the Big A fall meet to offer 50 stakes worth $10.35M

by NYRA Press Ofiice

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) today announced the stakes schedule for the 31-day 2024 Belmont at the Big A fall meet.

Due to the ongoing construction of the new Belmont Park, the fall meet will once again be conducted at Aqueduct Racetrack. The fall meet will begin on Friday, September 13 and run through Sunday, November 3, including four Grade 1s and six Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” qualifiers. The meet will offer a total of 50 stakes worth $10.35 million in total purses.

The Belmont at the Big A stakes action kicks off on Opening Day September 13 with the Listed $150,000 Winter Memories at one-mile on turf for sophomore fillies.

Saturday, September 14 features the 11-furlong Grade 3, $350,000 Fasig-Tipton Jockey Club Oaks to conclude the lucrative turf series for sophomore fillies that saw Cinderella’s Dream win both the Grade 1 Fasig-Tipton Belmont Oaks Invitational in July and the Grade 2 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Oaks Invitational on August 2.

The $150,000 Lonesome Glory, a 2 3/8-mile steeplechase for older horses will go as the first Grade 1 of the meet on Thursday, September 19.

The following Saturday, September 21, will see the Grade 3, $175,000 Noble Damsel for fillies and mares at one-mile on turf ahead of the first New York-bred stakes of the meet on Sunday, September 22 with a pair of seven-furlong sprints worth $125,000 for state-bred juveniles in the Bertram F. Bongard and its female counterpart, the Joseph A. Gimma.

New York-bred stakes action continues with a pair of nine-furlong turf events on Thursday, September 26 with the $125,000 John Hettinger for fillies and mares and again on Friday, September 27, with the state-bred $125,000 Ashley T. Cole for 3-year-olds and up.

Saturday, September 28 features a loaded card of four graded events, including the first Grade 1 flat race of the meet in the $500,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic for 3-year-olds and up going 1 1/2 miles on turf. The card is supported by the Grade 2, $400,000 Woodward at nine furlongs for 3-year-olds and up, and a pair of “Win and You’re In” events in the Grade 3, $250,000 Vosburgh, a seven-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up that awards the winner a berth into the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint in November at Del Mar and the Grade 2, $200,000 Pilgrim at 1 1/16-miles on turf for 2-year-olds providing automatic entry to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.

The weekend wraps up with two more Grade 2 tilts on Sunday, September 29 with the $250,000 Gallant Bloom at 6 1/2 furlongs for fillies and mares; and the $200,000 Miss Grillo for fillies, awarding a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.

Friday, October 4 through Sunday, October 6 will see a plethora of graded events, beginning on the Friday with the Grade 3, $200,000 Waya at 1 3/8 miles on turf for fillies and mares; and the Grade 3, $175,000 Futurity for juveniles sprinting six furlongs on the lawn in hopes of securing a “Win and You’re In” spot in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint.

Saturday, October 5 provides another stacked card of graded events, led by two Grade 1 “Win and You’re In” qualifiers at one-mile for juveniles in the $500,000 Champagne [Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile] and $400,000 Frizette [Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies]. The card is supported by the Grade 3, $200,000 Belmont Turf Sprint for 3-year-olds and up sprinting six furlongs; and the Grade 3, $500,000 Jockey Club Derby on turf for sophomores at 1 3/8 miles.

Graded action continues into the Sunday, October 6 card, including the Grade 2, $250,000 Beldame at nine furlongs for fillies and mares; and the Grade 3, $175,000 Matron for juvenile fillies sprinting six furlongs on the turf.

Saturday, October 26 will offer three stakes, including the Grade 3, $250,000 Forty Niner, a one-turn mile for 3-year-olds and up that will offer the top-three finishers a free nomination and starting fee in the Grade 2 Cigar Mile presented by NYRA Bets to be run during the Aqueduct fall meet. The lucrative card also includes the Grade 2, $250,000 Mother Goose, a nine-furlong test for sophomore fillies, and the Grade 3, $175,000 Bold Ruler at six furlongs for 3-year-olds and up.

Other graded events slated for the Belmont at the Big A fall meet are the Grade 2, $200,000 Sands Point for sophomore fillies traveling nine furlongs on the grass on October 12; and the Grade 3, $175,000 Knickerbocker for 3-year-olds and up at nine furlongs on the grass on October 13.

Sunday, October 27 is the annual Empire Showcase Day card, which includes eight New York-bred stakes valued at $1.6 million in total purses. The card is highlighted by two nine-furlong events worth $250,000 in the Empire Classic and its counterpart, the Empire Distaff for fillies and mares. Empire Showcase Day will also include four $200,000 stakes in the Sleepy Hollow, Maid of the Mist, Mohawk and Ticonderoga, along with a pair of $150,000 stakes in the Iroquois and Hudson.

Closing Weekend of the Belmont at the Big A fall meet spans Friday, November 1 through Sunday, November 3 – dates previously offered at the Aqueduct Racetrack fall meet.

Friday’s card will feature the $150,000 Atlantic Beach at six furlongs for juvenile turf sprinters ahead of Saturday card that includes four stakes, including a trio of Listed $150,000 events in the Nashua at one-mile for 2-year-olds, the Tempted at one-mile for juvenile fillies and the Artie Schiller for 3-year-olds and up going one-mile on turf. Also on tap Saturday is the $135,000 Stewart Manor, a six-furlong turf sprint for 2-year-old fillies.

The Belmont at the Big A fall meet concludes on Sunday, November 3 with a pair of Listed $150,000 main-track stakes for fillies and mares in the Pumpkin Pie at seven furlongs and the Turnback the Alarm at nine-furlongs; along with the $150,000 Discovery at nine furlongs for sophomores.

For the complete Belmont at the Big A stakes schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/stakes-schedule/.