NYRA Puts Brooklyn Stakes on Furlough Until 2026

While the New York Thoroughbred racing industry eagerly awaits the expected Fall 2026 re-opening of Belmont Park, one of the circuit's oldest stakes also sits on hold. The New York Racing Association is putting the Brooklyn Stakes (G2) on a one-year furlough with plans to bring it back next year at Belmont Park at its traditional distance of 1 1/2 miles. NYRA senior vice president of racing and operations Andrew Offerman said the decision to shelve the Brooklyn was due to the 12-furlong distance being problematic at Aqueduct Racetrack and Saratoga Race Course, NYRA's two venues that are currently operational. The one-year hiatus also allows the Brooklyn to retain its graded status, which would be lost if it were not contested for two consecutive years. "The Brooklyn is being furloughed for 2025 with the intention of bringing back to Belmont Park once we get back to a mile and a half surface. We can furlough it for a year without losing its graded status, so the intention is that it returns in the fall of 2026," Offerman said. "There really wasn't a logical home for it. I didn't want to run it at a mile and three-quarters at Saratoga, and I didn't think it really worked at Aqueduct at a mile and three-eighths." The 2024 Brooklyn was held at Aqueduct at a 1 3/8-mile distance and was won by marathon star Next, who also captured the 2023 race at Belmont Park. The Brooklyn Stakes was first run in 1887 at Gravesend Race Track. The race's list of illustrious past winners includes Forego, Riva Ridge, Damascus, Buckpasser, Kelso, Tom Fool, Assault, Whirlaway, and Seabiscuit.