Belmont Park Releases 2020 Summer Stakes Schedule

ELMONT, NY – Fresh on the heels of announcing that the Belmont Stakes (G1) will be held on June 20, the New York Racing Association (NYRA) released the 2020 summer stakes schedule for Belmont Park, which will resume live racing on June 3 and conclude on July 12.

The full slate features 40 total stakes (including 22 graded) worth a combined $7 million, with at least one stakes offered each live day of racing throughout the meet. A total of nine Grade 1s are scheduled, as are four Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” events.

The stakes action commences on opening day June 3 with the $100,000 Beaugay Stakes (G3), a 1 1/16-mile turf event for fillies and mares ages 4 and up. As is the case across the rest of the country, live racing will be held without spectators until further notice.

“The resumption of live racing at Belmont Park on June 3, with all appropriate health and safety protocols in place, will support the hundreds of small businesses, family-owned farms and thousands of hourly workers who form the backbone of thoroughbred racing in New York,” said NYRA President & CEO Dave O’Rourke. “The return of live sports, especially New York institutions like the Belmont Stakes, is a welcome sign of progress that will bring some sense of normalcy back to our everyday lives.”

June 6, the first Saturday of live racing at Belmont Park, will include:

• The $250,000 Carter Handicap (G1) at 7 furlongs on dirt and a “Win and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint
  • The Carter was originally scheduled for April 4 at Aqueduct before that track’s meet ended prematurely
  • The Carter replaces the John A. Nerud Stakes (G2), which had been the Belmont Park meet’s “Win and You’re In” Sprint qualifier
• The $150,000 Fort Marcy Stakes (G2) at 1 1/8 miles on turf
• The $100,000 Westchester Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles on dirt
• The $100,000 Intercontinental Stakes (G3) at 7 furlongs on the turf, restricted to fillies and mares

The $300,000 Ogden Phipps Stakes (G1), a 1 1/16-mile dirt race for fillies and mares, will be held on June 13 and offer a berth to the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.

Belmont Stakes Day on June 20 will also include:

• The $300,000 Acorn Stakes (G1), a 1-mile dirt event for 3-year-old fillies
• The $250,000 Woody Stephens Stakes (G1), a 7-furlong dirt sprint for 3-year-olds
• The $250,000 Jaipur Stakes (G1), a 6-furlong turf sprint offering a berth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint
• The $150,000 Pennine Ridge Stakes (G2), a 1-mile turf event for 3-year-olds
• The $150,000 Wonder Again Stakes (G3), a 1-mile turf event for 3-year-old fillies

Belmont Park’s Stars & Stripes Racing Festival will be held on July 4 and feature several graded stakes, including:

• The $500,000 Metropolitan Handicap (G1), aka the Met Mile, offering a trip to the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile
• The $400,000 Manhattan Stakes (G1), going 1 1/4 miles on turf
• The $200,000 Suburban Stakes (G2), going 1 1/8 miles on dirt
• The $150,000 Poker Stakes (G3), going 1 mile on turf
• The $100,000 Victory Ride Stakes (G3), going 6 1/2 furlongs on dirt and restricted to 3-year-old fillies

Closing weekend will be held on July 11 and 12, featuring the $150,000 Ruffian Stakes (G2) on Saturday and the $80,000 River Memories Stakes on Sunday. Live racing in New York will then transition to Saratoga, which will hold its summer meet July 16 through September 7.