NYRA announces spring stakes schedule for Aqueduct Racetrack

By Pat McKenna —-

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) today announced the stakes schedule for the 2023 spring meet at Aqueduct Racetrack, featuring 14 stakes worth nearly $2.8 million in total purses.

The 19-day spring meet will open on March 30 and continue through April 30. Live racing will be conducted Thursday-Sunday except for April 9, when live racing and pari-mutuel wagering is prohibited by New York State in observance of Easter Sunday.

The Grade 3, $150,000 Distaff Handicap, a seven-furlong contest for older fillies and mares, will kick off the spring meet graded stakes action on Friday, April 7.

A blockbuster Wood Memorial Day card on April 8 will feature four graded stakes, topped by the 98th running of the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino. The nine-furlong test for 3-year-olds will offer 100-40-30-20-10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-five finishers.

Wood Memorial Day will raise the curtain on Grade 1 racing on the NYRA circuit in 2023 with the $300,000 Carter Handicap presented by NYRA Bets, a seven-furlong sprint for older horses. In addition, the April 8 card will include a pair of Grade 3 races – the $250,000 Gazelle at nine furlongs for sophomore fillies offering 100-40-30-20-10 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points to the top-five finishers; and the $200,000 Bay Shore, a seven-furlong sprint for sophomores.

Opening Weekend of the spring meet, on Saturday, April 1, features the $125,000 Excelsior at 1 1/8 miles for older horses; followed by the $100,000 Top Flight for older fillies and mares going 1 1/8 miles, on Sunday, April 2.

Closing weekend of the Big A spring meet offers the $100,000 Memories of Silver for 3-year-old fillies headed one mile on the turf. The spring meet will conclude on Sunday, April 30 with a race that moves over this year from Belmont Park, the $100,000 Affirmed Success at six furlongs for New York-bred older horses.

For the complete Aqueduct spring meet stakes schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/stakes-schedule/.