Belmont Kicks Off Sensational Fall Meeting
A stakes schedule worth $9.5 million, a new Pick 5 wager with a low takeout, and a bevy of promotions will highlight Belmont Park's fall meet, which begins Saturday, September 7 and runs for 37 days through October 27.
There some huge weekend’s at this fairly short meeting. Saturday, September 28, marks one of the finest days of racing one will ever witness, with five Grade 1’s and a Grade 2 race on the agenda. The $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) is the most lucrative event and could be as good this year as it has in some time. Also on that day are the following -- $600,000 Flower Bowl Invitational (G1); $600,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic (G1); $400,000 Vosburgh S. (G1); $400,000 Beldame H. (G1); and the $400,000 Kelso H. (G2). All six "Super Saturday" races are Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win and You're In" events. Last year, four horses who competed on "Super Saturday" went on to win Breeders' Cup races (Fort Larned, Classic; Little Mike, Turf; Royal Delta, Ladies' Classic; Zagora, Filly & Mare Turf).
The following weekend is loaded as well, with five graded runs carded. October 5 is the date of the $500,000 Jamaica S. (G1), $500,000 Frizette S. (G1) and the $500,000 Champagne s. (G1). On Sunday, October 6, the $200,000 Pilgrim S. (G3) and the $200,000 Miss Grillo S. (G3) will lead the way. October 5 has been designated Fabulous Fillies Day.
The best New York-breds will converge on October 19 at Belmont for Empire New York Showcase Day presented by The New York Thoroughbred Breeding and Development Fund. Belmont will present seven stakes, topped by the $250,000 Empire Classic for 3-year-olds and up.
Bet 2013 Belmont Park horse racing online with TwinSpires.com and watch it live on TwinSpiresTV!
Belmont Park Fall Championship Meet Wagering Notes
With the start of the Belmont fall meet, The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will offer a Pick 5 wager every race day. The 50-cent minimum, 15-percent takeout wager will span races 1-5.
On Saturdays, Belmont will offer a $300,000 Guaranteed Late Pick 4. By guaranteeing the pool, NYRA will supplement the difference if the total wagering pool for the Saturday Late Pick 4 is less than $300,000.
Belmont - Penn National Thursday Pick 4 - The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) and Penn National Gaming, Inc. are launching a special reduced takeout Thursday Pick 4 that will link the final two races at Belmont Park with the first two races at Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course. The Belmont - Penn National Thursday Pick 4 will commence Thursday, September 12 and will run every subsequent Thursday through October 24, the final week of the Belmont fall meet. The 50-cent minimum wager will be offered at a reduced 15 percent takeout. "We are very excited to partner with NYRA and offer racing customers this new and unique bet," said Dan Silver, director of racing operations at Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course. "Combining races from Belmont Park and Penn National in this reduced takeout wager should create a fun and appealing midweek wagering opportunity." The wager will begin with Belmont's next-to-last race (usually race 8 or 9), and conclude with Penn National's 2nd race at approximately 6:27pm ET.
Handicapping Belmont Park
Just in time for the opening of the marquee autumn meetings, the popular Track Stats books have been updated for Belmont Park, Churchill Downs, Keeneland Race Course, and Santa Anita Park.
Handicap with detailed trainer/jockey stats, track bias, and speed rating pars for the most popular meetings in the country!
Each track is $12 or you can get any two for $20! Visit the Track Stats page and download now.
Belmont Park 2013 Fall Championship Meet
Dates: September 7 through October 27
Belmont Park horse racing schedule: Dark Mondays and Tuesdays
Post Times: 1:05 p.m. ET in September and 12:50 in October.
Belmont Park Racetrack Information
Main track (dirt): 1 1/2 mile oval
Length of stretch from last turn to finish line: 1,097 feet
Widener turf: 1 5/16 mile, 27 feet inside main track
Inner turf course: 1 3/16 miles
Bets available may include: Win, Place, Show, Quinella, Exacta, Trifecta, Superfecta, Daily Double, Pick 3, and Pick 4.
Belmont Park Fall 2013 Stakes Schedule
| Date | Race | Grade | Purse | Age | Distance |
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| Sat., Sep. 7 | Bowling Green Handicap | II | $250,000 |
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| Sat., Sep. 14 | Garden City | I | $500,000 |
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| Sat., Sep. 14 | Noble Damsel | III | $200,000 |
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| Sun., Sep. 15 | John Hettinger (NYB) | $150,000 |
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| Sun., Sep. 15 | Ashley T. Cole (NYB) | $150,000 |
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| Sat., Sep. 21 | Gallant Bloom Handicap | II | $300,000 |
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| Sat., Sep. 28 | Flower Bowl Invitational | I | $600,000 |
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| Sat., Sep. 28 | Beldame Invitational | I | $400,000 |
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| Sat., Sep. 28 | Jockey Club Gold Cup Invitational | I | $1,000,000 |
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| Sat., Sep. 28 | Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational | I | $600,000 |
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| Sat., Sep. 28 | Kelso Handicap | II | $400,000 |
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| Sat., Sep. 28 | Vosburgh Invitational | I | $400,000 |
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| Sun., Sep. 29 | Futurity | II | $200,000 |
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| Sun., Sep. 29 | Matron | II | $200,000 |
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| Sat., Oct. 5 | Jamaica | I | $500,000 |
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| Sat., Oct. 5 | Frizette | I | $500,000 |
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| Sat., Oct. 5 | Foxwoods Champagne | I | $500,000 |
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| Sun., Oct. 6 | Miss Grillo | III | $200,000 |
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| Sun., Oct. 6 | Pilgrim | III | $200,000 |
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| Sat., Oct. 12 | Knickerbocker | III | $200,000 |
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| Sat., Oct. 12 | Athenia | III | $200,000 |
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| Mon., Oct. 14 | Pebbles | $200,000 |
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| Sat., Oct. 19 | Ticonderoga (NYB) | $200,000 |
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| Sat., Oct. 19 | Bertram F. Bongard (NYB) | $150,000 |
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| Sat., Oct. 19 | Empire Classic (NYB) | $250,000 |
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| Sat., Oct. 19 | Mohawk (NYB) | $200,000 |
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| Sat., Oct. 19 | Joseph A. Gimma (NYB) | $150,000 |
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| Sat., Oct. 19 | Hudson (NYB) | $150,000 |
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| Sat., Oct. 19 | Iroquois (NYB) | $150,000 |
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| Sat., Oct. 26 | Turnback the Alarm | III | $200,000 |
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| Sat., Oct. 26 | Bold Ruler | III | $200,000 |
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About Belmont Park Racetrack
There was a time when horses truly equaled power. We’re reminded of that every time the Triple Crown is run – the three most important races in America for 3-year-old thoroughbreds. The Belmont Stakes, the third jewel in the Triple Crown, is run at the magnificent Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.
August Belmont Jr. was a central figure in New York’s upper class, and the man credited with saving the sport of thoroughbred racing in the East. He spent considerable time, effort and money on his labor of love – a love he inherited from his father. The first Belmont Stakes were run in 1867 at lavish Jerome Park Racetrack, which August Belmont Sr. helped finance.
By the turn of the century, the race had been moved to Morris Park Racecourse, which was once called the finest in the world before builder John Morris died in 1895. New York’s upper crust stopped attending after that, leaving both Morris Park and the sport itself in disarray.
Enter our hero. August Belmont Jr. organized the Westchester Racing Association in 1895, opened Belmont Park 10 years later and took over the Belmont Stakes from Morris Park. The State of New York owns Belmont Park now, but the tradition remains. When it came time to tear down the old facility in 1963, Arthur Froehlich was hired to design the new grandstand, which opened in 1968 at a cost of $30.7 million – that’s nearly $200 million in 2011 dollars.
Belmont Park holds events from May to July and again from late September to late October. The $1-million Belmont Stakes (1.5 mile, dirt) are run the first Saturday after June 5. Belmont hosts 16 other Grade 1 stakes, including the $1-million Jockey Club Gold Cup (10 furlongs, dirt) for 3-year- olds and up. The most notable turf race is the $600,000 Man o' War Stakes (11 furlongs, 3 years and older), named after the greatest racehorse of them all, born in 1917 at August Belmont Jr.’s farm in Lexington. Papa would have been proud.