Jennifer Pottheiser Photo

Belmont Stakes Racing Festival to include a host of two-day special wagers

by Keith McCalmont

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) today announced a selection of special wagers to be offered during the 2023 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.

A total of six two-day wagers are highlighted by the return of the popular two-day Pick 6, which will open on Friday, June 9 and concludes with the 155th running of the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets on Saturday, June 10. There will be five special “Double” wagers on offer, each with a $5 base and 18.5 percent takeout.

The three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival kicks off on Thursday, June 8 and will feature 16 stakes in total, including nine Grade 1 races. The Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets headlines Saturday’s stacked card in Race 12 with a post time of 7:02 p.m. Eastern.

Day 1 of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival on Thursday, June 8 is a twilight racing program with a first post of 3:05 p.m. Eastern for the 10-race card. First post on Friday, June 9 is 12:50 p.m. for a stacked 11-race card. First post on the 13-race Belmont Stakes Day card is 11:20 a.m.

The Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will offer a host of special two-day special wagers including:

Two-day Pick 4

The Two-day Pick 4 kicks off Thursday in Race 8 at 6:45 p.m. with the $150,000 Jersey Girl and the Grade 2, $200,000 Wonder Again in Race 9 and concludes on Friday with the Grade 1, $500,000 Acorn in Race 9 and the Grade 2, $250,000 Belmont Gold Cup in Race 10.

The base wager is $2 with a 24 percent takeout.

Two-day Pick 6

Returning to the wagering menu is the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival two-day Pick 6, which features a low 15 percent takeout and $0.20 base wager. The two-day Pick 6 opens on Friday and continues Saturday, ending with a mandatory force out in the Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets.

The sequence begins with a pair of races on Friday in Race 9 at 5:14 p.m. with the Grade 1, $500,000 Acorn and the Grade 2, $250,000 Belmont Gold Cup in Race 10. The wager concludes with four races on the Saturday card, including the Grade 1, $400,000 Jaipur in Race 9, Grade 1, $1 million Hill ‘n’ Dale Metropolitan Handicap on Saturday in Race 10, the Grade 1, $750,000 Resorts World Casino Manhattan in Race 11 and the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets in Race 12.

The New York/Met Mile Double

The New York/Met Mile Double opens with the Grade 1, $600,000 New York on Friday in Race 8 at 4:41 p.m. and concludes with the Grade 1, $1 million Hill ‘n’ Dale Metropolitan Handicap on Saturday in Race 10 at 5:04 p.m. The base wager is $5 with an 18.5 percent takeout.

Belmont Gold Cup/Belmont Stakes Double

The Belmont Gold Cup/Belmont Stakes Double opens with the Belmont Gold Cup in Race 10 at 5:47 p.m. on Friday and concludes with the Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets on Saturday. The base wager is $5 with an 18.5 percent takeout.

Two-day Filly and Mare Double

The Filly and Mare Double opens on Friday with the Grade 1, $500,000 Acorn in Race 9 at 5:14 p.m. and concludes with the Grade 1, $500,000 Ogden Phipps in Race 7 on Saturday.

The base wager is $5 with an 18.5 percent takeout.

Two-day Sprint Double

The two-day Sprint Double opens with the Grade 3, $200,000 Intercontinental at six-furlongs on turf in Race 11 at 6:19 p.m. on Friday and concludes on Saturday with the Grade 1, $400,000 Woody Stephens presented by Mohegan Sun in Race 8.

The base wager is $5 with an 18.5 percent takeout.

Triple Play ($3 Pick 3)

The special all-turf Triple Play ($3 Pick 3) will be offered on both Friday and Belmont Stakes Day.

Friday’s sequence kicks off with the Grade 1, $500,000 Just a Game in Race 4 at 2:28 p.m. and includes the Grade 2, $250,000 Belmont Gold Cup in Race 10 and the Grade 3, $200,000 Intercontinental in Race 11.

Saturday’s sequence includes a trio of turf stakes, leading with the Grade 3, $200,000 Poker in Race 5 at 1:44 p.m. ahead of the Grade 1, $400,000 Jaipur in Race 9 and the Grade 1, $750,000 Resorts World Casino Manhattan in Race 11.

The base wager is $3 with a 19 percent takeout.

Met Mile/Belmont Stakes Double

The Met Mile/Belmont Stakes Double on Saturday opens with the Grade 1, $1 million Hill ‘n’ Dale Metropolitan in Race 10 at 5:04 p.m. and concludes with the Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets. The base wager is $5 with an 18.5 percent takeout.

***

A mandatory payout middle Pick 5 will be offered on all three days of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.

The traditional $1 Pick 6 will also be offered on each day of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival. The Pick 6 on Saturday, June 10, will conclude with the Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets.

The FOX Sports family of networks will present expansive coverage and analysis of Belmont Stakes Day beginning with America’s Day at the Races on FS1 at 11 a.m. Coverage then shifts to FOX, where America’s Day at the Belmont and Belmont Day on FOX will air from 3-7:30 p.m.

America’s Day at the Belmont Stakes will complement the FOX broadcast with parallel coverage geared to the avid and experienced horseplayer from 4-7:30 p.m. on FS1. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the best way to bet every race of the Belmont Park spring/summer meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.