NYRA Announces Belmont, July 4 Racing Festival Stakes

The New York Racing Association announced March 7 the stakes schedule for the 2025 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, which will be held at Saratoga Race Course from June 4-8. Highlighted by the 157th edition of the $2 million Belmont Stakes (G1) June 7, the five-day 2025 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will include 27 stakes races with purses totaling $11,275,000, the richest purses and highest number of stakes offered since the launch of the multiday Belmont Stakes Racing Festival in 2014. The Belmont Stakes will once again be contested at 1 1/4 miles in 2025 rather than the traditional 1 1/2 miles due to the configuration of Saratoga's main track. For the third consecutive year, FOX will present live broadcast coverage of the Belmont Stakes. FOX Sports is the television home of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, providing viewers across the county with wall-to-wall coverage and expansive on-site analysis of the five-day festival from Saratoga. The Belmont Stakes Racing Festival kicks off June 4 with the nation's top steeplechasers in the $150,000 Beverly R. Steinman (NSA-1), a 2 3/8-mile hurdles test for older horses, before the card moves into New York Showcase Day. New York Showcase Day features six $200,000 stakes exclusively for New York-breds, including the seven-furlong Mike Lee for sophomores; Bouwerie at the same distance for sophomore fillies; the 1 1/8-mile Commentator for 3-year-olds and up and the Critical Eye at the same distance for females 3-years-old and up. On the turf, there will be a pair of 1 1/16-mile events, the Kingston for older horses and the Mount Vernon for older fillies and mares. June 5 presents four stakes, including two graded with the 5 1/2-furlong $200,000 Intercontinental Stakes (G2T) for older fillies and mares, and the $300,000 Poker (G3) for older horses going one mile on the lawn. Juveniles will also be on full display in the listed $150,000 Tremont at 5 1/2 furlongs and the $150,000 Astoria for fillies at the same distance. June 6 is led by four grade 1s for females, including the $750,000 New York (G1T), a 1 3/16-mile turf test for ages 4 and up; the 1 1/8-mile $500,000 Ogden Phipps (G1) for older fillies and mares; the $500,000 Acorn (G1) at the same distance for the division's sophomores; and the one-mile turf $500,000 Just a Game (G1T) for ages 4 and up. The seven-furlong $300,000 Bed o' Roses (G2) for older female dirt sprinters and the $250,000 Belmont Gold Cup (G2T) for older turf marathoners going two miles complete the June 6 card. A blockbuster Belmont Stakes Day at Saratoga awaits June 7 with a program to include five grade 1 events among eight stakes in total, culminating with the Belmont Stakes and featuring the Metropolitan Handicap (G1) going one mile out of the Wilson Chute for 3-year-olds and up, and the 5 1/2-furlong turf $500,000 Jaipur (G1T) also for 3-year-olds and up. The prestigious and historic grade 1s on Belmont Stakes Day also includes the 1 3/16-mile turf $1 million Manhattan (G1T) for older horses and the seven-furlong $500,000 Woody Stephens (G1) for sophomores. Belmont Stakes Day will be bolstered by the $300,000 Wonder Again (G2) for sophomore fillies traveling 1 1/16 miles on turf, as well as the 6 1/2-furlong $400,000 True North (G3) for older dirt sprinters and the $300,000 Pennine Ridge (G3T) for sophomores going 1 1/16 miles on grass. The Belmont Stakes Racing Festival concludes June 8 with the $175,000 Soaring Softly (G3T) at 5 1/2 furlongs on grass, along with the six-furlong $150,000 Jersey Girl on the main track, both for sophomore fillies. July 4th Racing Festival NYRA also announced March 7 the stakes schedule for the 2025 July 4th Racing Festival, which will be held at Saratoga Race Course July 3-6. Typically held at Belmont Park, the July 4th Racing Festival at Saratoga will serve as a prelude to the traditional summer meet and conclude the Belmont at the Big A spring/summer meet. Following the 2025 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, live racing on the NYRA circuit will return to Aqueduct Racetrack from June 12-29 prior to the July 4th Racing Festival at Saratoga. With the addition of the Belmont Stakes and July 4th festivals, Saratoga will host nine live race days in 2025 outside of the traditional 40-day summer meet. The festival begins July 3 with two stakes on tap in the $150,000 Wild Applause for sophomore fillies traveling one mile on the turf, and the $175,000 Victory Ride (G3) for sophomore fillies sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs. July 4 will feature a stacked card of five stakes races, headlined by the $750,000 Belmont Derby Invitational (G1T) for sophomores going 1 1/8 miles on the turf. The program is supported by the $400,000 Suburban (G2) at 1 1/4 miles for older horses; the $200,000 Manila (G3T) for sophomores going one mile on the turf; the $150,000 Harvey Pack for older horses sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf; and the $150,000 Schuylerville for juvenile fillies sprinting six furlongs. Grade 1 action continues into July 5 as sophomore filly turf routers take center stage in the $500,000 Belmont Oaks Invitational (G1T) traveling 1 1/8 miles. The $175,000 Kelso (G3) for older horses going one mile on the turf and the $175,000 Sanford (G3) for juveniles sprinting six furlongs are also featured on the program. The weekend closes out July 6 to conclude the 2025 Belmont at the Big A spring/summer meet. Daily admission for the July 4th Racing Festival will be available for $7 when purchased in advance or $10 day-of. For additional information on hospitality and tickets, including bundled general admission for the Belmont Stakes and July 4th Festivals, visit BelmontStakes.com/tickets. For the complete stakes schedule for the Belmont Stakes and July 4th Racing Festivals, and the Belmont at the Big A spring/summer meet, click here.