Condition book for Opening Weekend at Belmont Park now online
The condition book for the Opening Weekend of live racing at the new and reimagined Belmont Park is now available online. The condition book spans Friday, September 18 through Sunday, September 20 with entries for the Opening Day program to be taken on Saturday, September 12.
The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will begin a new era at Belmont on September 18 with an Opening Day program anchored by the Grade 1, $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup, which provides a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Breeders’ Cup Classic. To celebrate the unveiling of the new Belmont Park, NYRA will increase these record overnight purses by an additional 50 percent specifically for the September 18 program.
Centered around a modern grandstand featuring an array of fan amenities and hospitality offerings, Belmont Park will feature four newly constructed racing surfaces, including the traditional 1 1/2-mile dirt track, two turf courses and the one-mile Tapeta oval. Beyond the confines of the grandstand and expanded paddock area, Belmont Park will provide fans and the surrounding community with more generally accessible green space than ever before.
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NYRA previously announced the Belmont Park fall meet, which will run Friday September 18 through Sunday, December 6, will offer record purse levels across all overnight categories.
This will include purse increases in the open allowance category of a full 15 percent from $100,000 to $115,000. In addition, first-level optional-claiming events will be offered for $105,000 and second-level optional-claiming races will be offered for $108,000.
Maiden special weight races will receive an 18 percent increase from $85,000 to $100,000, while New York-bred maiden special weights will enjoy a 25 percent boost from $80,000 to $100,000.
The Belmont Park fall meet will feature 32 graded events among 72 stakes races worth $17.7 million in total purses. Highlighted by a series of major Saturday race days beginning in September and continuing through Cigar Mile Day on December 5, the fall meet will conclude on December 6.
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