The schedule of New York-bred stakes races to be run at the three New York Racing Association (NYRA) racetracks and at Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack (FLGR) has a new and improved look for 2014.
Published in advance to make it easier for owners and trainers to map out campaigns for their horses, the 2014 stakes schedule shifts the emphasis from overnight stakes races to a defined series of races for each age group distributed among the three NYRA tracks (Belmont Park, Saratoga Race Course and Aqueduct Racetrack) and FLGR. Exciting new developments include the addition of five new races for 2-year-olds and the introduction of a Saratoga Showcase Day.
Jeffrey Cannizzo, Executive Director of the New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. said, “The New York-bred stakes program is in a class by itself. No other region even comes near it and now, for the first time, we have a set schedule so that horsemen and owners can target races for the entire calendar year.”
FLGR Racing Secretary Bill Couch said, “Working collaboratively with the Breeders and NYRA, we are pleased to have been able to create a mutually beneficial stakes program that maximizes benefits and options for all horsemen in New York and at the same time enhances the visibility of New York-bred program.”
The 2014 New York racing schedule features a total of 69 New York-bred stakes races worth $8.6 million. Fifty-four stakes worth $7,475,000 will be run at the NYRA tracks and 15 stakes with purses of $1,125,000 will be hosted by FLGR. The purses for New York-bred stakes run by NYRA have increased by $485,000 over 2013.
Headlining the New York-bred stakes schedule for 2014 are five new races for 2-year-olds to be hosted by NYRA, bringing the total number of stakes races for New York-bred 2-year-olds in the state to 19 with total purses of $2,650,000. Fourteen races for New York-bred juveniles worth $2,150,000 will be run at NYRA tracks, and five races worth $500,000 will be run at FLGR. NYRA has boosted stakes purses for New York-bred 2-year-olds on its circuit by $1,050,000.
“This is the first step in what will likely be a multi-year process,” said NYRA Senior Vice President of Racing Operations Martin Panza. “This year, we focused on the races for 2-year-olds, which seemed like a logical place to start. In coming years, we hope to roll out similarly structured programs for 3-year-olds and for older horses of both sexes.”
Said Cannizzo, “Martin Panza and NYRA deserve credit for the enhancements to the New York-bred 2-year-old stakes program. More races and bigger purses will add to commercial appeal of New York-breds in the eyes of pinhookers and end-users alike. Every breeder with a yearling for sale stands to benefit.”
Beyond the 2-year-olds, in 2014 New York-bred 3-year-olds will have 14 restricted stakes on the schedule worth $1,625,000 distributed as follows: 10 races worth $1.3 million on the NYRA tracks and four races worth $325,000 at FLGR. For horses of both sexes 3-years-old and up there will be 36 stakes races worth $4,325,000. Thirty of these, worth a total of $4,025,000, will be run at NYRA tracks. Six worth $300,000 are scheduled at FLGR.
Some of the marquee races for older horses have received significant purse enhancements. On Empire Showcase Day in the fall, the Empire Classic is now worth $300,000 and the new Empire Distaff Stakes for fillies and mares has a purse of $250,000. On the Big Apple Showcase Day, the one-mile Commentator Stakes and Critical Eye are each worth $200,000. Said Cannizzo, “It has now become even more lucrative to breed and own quality New York-breds. The money on offer here is a huge endorsement of our breeders and breeding program.”
Finally, this year for the first time Saratoga Race Course will play host to one of the popular all New York-bred showcase cards. The new Saratoga Showcase card, scheduled this year for August 24, the day after the Travers Stakes, will feature six stakes races. The event is modeled on the original New York-Bred Showcase program run at Belmont in October (now, Empire Showcase Day) and the Big Apple Showcase card run at Belmont on the Saturday before the Belmont Stakes, which was added to the NYRA racing calendar in 2013.
The “Stakes Schedule” page of the NYTB web site gives a chronological list of all New York-bred stakes races for the year, supplemented by tables breaking down the New York-bred stakes races by conditions of age and sex.
