NYRA to offer $3.4 million in guaranteed wagers for Belmont Stakes Racing Festival June 7-9

by NYRA Press Office

Friday, June 8, features a $500,000 Guaranteed Late Pick 4 beginning in Race 8 (post time 4:42 p.m. ET). The 11-race card, which begins at 12:50 p.m., includes the Grade 2, $600,000 New York, the Grade 2, $400,000 Belmont Gold Cup Invitational, the Grade 2, $250,000 True North, the Grade 3, $250,000 Bed o' Roses Invitational and the $150,000 Tremont.

Also on Friday are a pair of two-day guaranteed Daily Double wagers: a $100,000 Guaranteed New York- Runhappy Metropolitan Handicap double and a $300,000 Guaranteed Belmont Gold Cup-Belmont Stakes double.

Advance wagering on the full Belmont Stakes Day card will be available on Friday.

Belmont Stakes Day features a first-race post time of 11:35 a.m. and $500,000 Guaranteed Pick 5 beginning in Race 1. A $500,000 Guaranteed Pick 6 begins on Race 6 (post time 2:34 p.m.).

The $1.5 million Guaranteed Pick 4 begins on Race 8 (3:58 p.m.) and concludes with Race 11, the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets, in which undefeated Justify attempts to become racing's 13^th Triple Crown champion.

Expected to challenge the Bob Baffert trainee are Preakness runner-up Bravazo and third-place finished Tenfold; Grade 3 Peter Pan winner Blended Citizen; former European standout Gronkowski, now in the care of trainer Chad Brown; Derby veterans Hofburg (7th), Vino Rosso (9th), Free Drop Bill (16th) and Noble Indy (17th); and the Baffert-trained Restoring Hope.

The 1 ½ mile-Belmont is scheduled to go off at 6:46 p.m. and will be broadcast live by NBC from 4-7 p.m. Coverage begins at 2 p.m. on NBCSN.

In addition to the Belmont itself, Belmont Stakes Day also features the:

• Grade 1, $1.25 million Runhappy Metropolitan Handicap
• Grade 1, $1 million Woodford Reserve Manhattan
• Grade 1, $750,000 Ogden Phipps
• Grade 1, $700,000 Acorn presented by Nassau County IDA
• Grade 1, $700,000 Longines Just a Game
• Grade 2, $400,000 Woody Stephens
• Grade 2, $400,000 Brooklyn Invitational
• Grade 2, $400,000 Jaipur Invitational
• $150,000 Easy Goer

The three-day Belmont takes Racing Festival kicks off on Thursday, June 7, with a first-race post time of 2 p.m. and features three stakes: The Grade 3, $200,000 Intercontinental, the Grade 3, $200,000 Wonder Again and the $150,000 Astoria.