NYRA announces 2022 race dates

by Pat McKenna

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) today released its 2022 racing calendar, which calls for 202 live race days at Belmont Park, Aqueduct Racetrack and Saratoga Race Course.

The 2021-22 Aqueduct winter meet will run from Thursday, December 9 through Sunday, March 27 with live racing generally conducted four days per week in January and February and three days per week in March. 

The 15-day Aqueduct spring meet will open on Thursday March 31 and conclude on Sunday, April 24. Live racing will be conducted Thursday-Sunday during the 2022 spring meet at the Big A.

Highlighted by the 154th running of the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes on June 11, the 44-day Belmont spring/summer meet opens on Thursday, April 28, and will continue through Sunday, July 10. Live racing will generally be conducted Thursday-Sunday during the spring meet at Belmont with the exception of Memorial Day weekend and July 4th weekend, when live racing will be conducted Friday-Monday.

The 40-day summer meet at historic Saratoga Race Course will again serve as the anchor for a spectacular year of racing on the NYRA circuit. The summer meet, featuring the 95th running of the Grade 1 Whitney and the 153rd edition of the Grade 1 Runhappy Travers, will open on Thursday, July 14 and conclude on Labor Day, Monday, September 5.

Following the four-day opening weekend from Thursday, July 14 through Sunday, July 17, racing at Saratoga will be conducted five days a week, Wednesdays through Sundays, with the exception of the final week, when the meet will conclude on Labor Day.

The 28-day Belmont Park fall meet will begin on Thursday, September 15 and run through Sunday, October 30. Live racing will be conducted Thursday-Sunday during the 2022 fall meet at Belmont.

Following the conclusion of the Belmont fall meet, live racing will return to the Big A for an 18-day fall meet from Friday, November 4 through Sunday, December 4. Live racing will be conducted Thursday-Sunday during the 2022 fall meet at Aqueduct.

The Aqueduct winter meet begins on Thursday, December 15 - and following a 10-day holiday break from December 19 through December 28 - the 2022 schedule concludes Saturday, December 31.

The complete 2022 NYRA racing calendar can be found at: https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/post-times-and-wagering-menu/.