NYRA releases 2015 racing calendar

With the 40-day summer meet at historic Saratoga Race Course as its

glittering centerpiece, the New York Racing Association has released its racing

calendar for 2015, which calls for 251 days of live Thoroughbred action at

Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park, and Saratoga.

The Saratoga meet, anchored by the Grade 1 Whitney on August 8 and

the 146th edition of the Grade 1 Travers on August 29, will begin on Friday,

July 24 and conclude on Labor Day, September 7, with racing conducted

six days a week, Wednesday through Monday.

Racing on the Big A's inner track, which began on December 3, will continue

through March 22. In an effort to keep field sizes at a maximum in advance

of Aqueduct's spring meet, racing will be conducted four days a week for four

weeks -- the last week of February and the first three weeks of March.

There also will be no live racing at Aqueduct from March 23 through

March 31.

"In light of the national foal crop reduction, our goal in creating a four-day

race week during this period is to increase field size and provide additional

rest for our equine athletes in advance of our Aqueduct spring meet," said

Martin Panza, Senior Vice President of Racing Operations for the New York Racing

Association. "In essence, the March break is allowing us to create a more

vibrant spring meet at the Big A."

The 59-day Belmont spring/summer meet begins on Wednesday, April 29 and features

the 147th running of the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes on June

6. The highlight of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, Belmont Stakes Day

itself will offer nine additional stakes, with five stakes run on June

5, and two on June 4. There will be no racing on June 3.

The Belmont spring/summer meet also will feature the second "must-see" event of

the year, the internationally themed "Stars & Stripes Festival" on July 4, with six graded stakes worth $3.8 million. The spring/summer meet

concludes on July 19.

Later in the year, the Belmont Fall Championship meet will run 38 days from

September 11 through November 1, with "Super Saturday" scheduled

for September 26.

The racing calendar wraps up with 40 days of live racing at Aqueduct commencing

on November 4 and running through New Year's Eve, with a five-day

winter break scheduled from December 21 through Christmas Day.

The stakes schedule for Belmont Park and Saratoga will be announced in the

coming days.

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