Belmont to Kick Off Spring Meet April 29

By Blood-Horse Staff Courtesy BloodHorse.com

Highlighted by the 148th renewal of the $1.5 million (gr. I) on Saturday, June 11, will kick off its 54-day spring/summer meet on Friday, April 29. The 1 1/2-mile Belmont, the oldest and longest leg of racing's Triple Crown, will be the culmination of three days that will include 19 stakes worth $9.6 million beginning Thursday, June 9 and continuing through Belmont Stakes Day.

In addition to the Belmont, the June 11 card will include five additional grade I stakes: the $1.25 million Metropolitan Handicap ("Met Mile") for 3-year-olds and up, the $1 million Manhattan for older horses on the grass, the $700,000 Longines Just a Game for the turf female division, the $1 million for fillies and mares, and the $700,000 Acorn for sophomore fillies.

The Belmont Stakes post position draw is scheduled on Wednesday, June 8, at Rockefeller Center in Manhattan.

Thursday at Belmont Park will include a live Q&A session with , the Hall of Fame trainer of 2016 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah. The racing card will feature the $200,000 Astoria for 2-year-old fillies, $150,000 Intercontinental for filly and mare turf sprinters, and the $200,000 Belmont Coronation Invitational for fillies and mares going 1 15/16 miles on the turf.

Friday's card will feature five stakes worth more than $1.5 million, including the $500,000 New York and the $250,000 True North, both grade II. Friday will also mark the beginning of the meet's elite high-roller handicapping tournament, the Belmont Stakes Challenge, a two-day live- money handicapping contest with a $10,000 buy-in set to conclude on Belmont Stakes Day with a guaranteed overall prize pool of at least $125,000.

Opening weekend will be highlighted by the $100,000 Affirmed Success for New York-bred sprinters April 29, the $100,000 on Saturday, April 30, and the $100,000 License Fee Sunday, May 1.

As the New York home of Triple Crown racing, Belmont Park will host a live simulcast of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 7, complemented by a full day of live racing along with a wing and beer festival, family fun activities, and a Woodford Reserve bourbon tasting.

In addition to offering the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) simulcast on May 7, Belmont will present the first of 29 graded stakes races of the meet, with the grade II, $200,000 Sheepshead Bay; grade III, $150,000 Fort Marcy; and the grade III, $150,000 Westchester, the traditional prep for the Met Mile.

The Saturday, May 14 card will feature the grade III, $150,000 Beaugay; the grade II, $250,000 Ruffian; the Grade I, $400,000 Man o' War for older turf horses; and the grade II, $200,000 Peter Pan, the local prep race for the Belmont Stakes.

New York-breds take center stage for Big Apple Showcase Day on Memorial Day, May 30, with six stakes races worth $900,000, including a pair of one-mile dirt races: the and the Critical Eye for fillies and mares, both worth $200,000. On July 9, the card will be highlighted by the grade I, $1.25 million Belmont Derby Invitational for 3-year-olds and the grade I, $1 million Belmont Oaks Invitational for 3-year-old fillies, both at 1 1/4 miles on the turf. Also on the card are the grade II, $500,000 Suburban Handicap; the grade III, $500,000 Dwyer for 3-year-olds; the grade III, $400,000 Belmont Sprint Championship; and the grade III, $150,000 Victory Ride for 3-year-old filly sprinters.

With the exception of the twilight racing cards, Derby and Preakness Day, and the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, the first race post time at Belmont Park generally will be 1:30 p.m. ET.

Admission to Belmont Park is $5, excluding Belmont Stakes Day, when Grandstand admission is $15 and Clubhouse admission is $40. Information on special hospitality packages and seats for Belmont Stakes Day can be found at belmontstakes.com.