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Light Drizzle Fog/Mist Belmont Park prepares to open for fall meet
Championship thoroughbred action returns to Belmont Sept. 10-11
With 21 graded stakes worth $5 million, Belmont Park’s 2011 fall meet will showcase a stellar lineup of champions-in-the-making when it opens for its 37-day meet on Sept. 10. Grandstand admission will be free during opening weekend.
This Saturday will also mark the first $300,000 Guaranteed Late Pick 4, presented by Foxwoods Resort Casino, which will be offered on Saturdays throughout the fall meet.
The meet’s superb Grade 1 schedule is highlighted by Super Saturday, on Oct. 1, and the 93rd running of the $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup. Last year, older male champion Blame ran in the 1.25-mile fixture before going on to upset Zenyatta in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. The day also features four other Grades 1’s – the $350,000 Beldame Invitational for fillies and mares, the $350,000 Vosburgh Invitational for sprinters, the $500,000 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational, and the $500,000 Flower Bowl Invitational for fillies and mares on the turf, as well as the Grade 2 Kelso at a mile on the main track.
All of the graded stakes races on Oct. 1 will be Breeders’ Cup Challenge races, meaning that winners will earn automatic entry into the corresponding Breeders’ Cup races. On Super Saturday, the New York Racing Association will offer a $500,000 Guaranteed Pick 4, presented by Foxwoods Resort Casino.
On Oct. 2, a quartet of prestigious races will be held for 2-year-olds: the Grade 2 Nashua at six furlongs on the main track and the Grade 3 Pilgrim at 1 1/16 miles on the turf, along with the Grade 3 Tempted at six furlongs for 2-year-old fillies and the Grade 3 Miss Grillo for 2-year-old fillies, going 1 1/16 miles on the turf.
Juveniles will take center stage again on Oct. 8 with the Grade 1, $300,000 Champagne and the Grade 1, $300,000 Frizette for fillies, which are joined by the Grade 1, $250,000 Jamaica for 3-year-olds, going 1 1/8 miles on the turf.
New York-breds get their chance to shine on New York Showcase Day, which will be held on Saturday, Oct. 22, with seven stakes for the top horses bred in the state, capped by the $200,000 Empire Classic.
