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NYRA releases fall stakes schedules for Belmont, Aqueduct The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) has announced the stakes programs for the 2010 Belmont Fall Championship Meet and the 2010 Aqueduct Fall Meet, featuring more than 30 graded stakes races and nearly $9 million in purses. The Belmont meet begins on September 11 and runs through October 31, with 37 days of scheduled live racing. The marquee afternoon of racing falls on October 2, with five prestigious Grade 1 races -- the Jockey Club Gold Cup, Joe Hirsch Turf Classic, Flower Bowl, Beldame and Vosburgh. Other Grade 1 races during the Belmont meet are the Garden City on September 28 and three on October 9 -- the Champagne, Frizette and Jamaica. There are a few significant changes. The following races have been put on hiatus for the Belmont fall meet: the Matron S. (G2), Futurity S. (G2), Jerome (G2), Lonesome Glory (NSA-G1), Joseph Gimma and Bertram Bongard. Those races are eligible to return in 2011 with the same graded status. Also, the one-mile Kelso H. (G2), slated for October 3, has changed surfaces from turf to dirt. In addition, 10 races -- the Beldame, Joe Hirsch Turf Classic, Flower Bowl, Empire Classic, Vosburgh, Champagne, Frizette, Mohawk, Ticonderoga and Garden City -- underwent purse reductions. There are five Breeders' Cup Challenge races during the Belmont Fall Championship Meet, comprising the Gallant Bloom H. (G2) on September 25, the Pilgrim S. (G3) and Miss Grillo S. (G3) on October 3, and the aforementioned Champagne and Frizette. The winners of those races will earn automatic entry into the corresponding Breeders' Cup races. Belmont also hosts New York Showcase Day on October 23, which includes seven stakes races for New York-bred horses totaling $900,000 in purses and featuring a day of great activities for the entire family to enjoy. The 2010 Aqueduct Fall meeting starts on November 5 and goes through December 31, with 36 live racing days scheduled. The premier day of racing is on November 27, featuring the Cigar Mile H. (G1), the Gazelle S. (G1), the Remsen S. (G2) and the Demoiselle S. (G2). Three races -- the Cormorant and Perfect Arc divisions of the New York Stallion Series, and the Stuyvesant -- were put on hiatus from the 2009 Aqueduct meet, while the Cigar Mile and Gazelle each underwent purse reductions. "Our fall stakes programs rank among the tops in the industry and we are looking forward to great racing at Belmont Park and Aqueduct," NYRA President and CEO Charles Hayward said. "The changes that we made to the meets are a reflection of the current economic climate and the nationwide reductions in the horse population."
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