NYRA Announces Enhanced Spring 2-Year-Old Program

The New York Racing Association will card eight maiden races worth $100,000 each during the spring leading up to Belmont's June 8 Astoria S. and June 9 Tremont S. in its ongoing effort to build up its early juvenile program. Fillies may run in the Astoria Trial A, 4 1/2 furlongs at Aqueduct Apr. 19; Astoria Trial B and C, contested at Belmont over five furlongs May 3 and May 17, respectively; and Astoria Trial D over five furlongs of Belmont turf May 25. Male juveniles will contest the Tremont Trial A over 4 1/2 panels at Aqueduct Apr. 20; the Tremont Trial B and C at Belmont going five furlongs May 4 and May 18, respectively; and the Tremont Trial D on the turf May 26. Fields for each trial are limited to 10 starters, with $50,000 to the winner. All runners will be paid. If 10 runners start, the second through sixth-place horses would receive $20,000, $10,000, $7,500, 5,000 and $4,000, respectively, with the remaining $3,500 divided among the seventh through 10th-place finishers.

Additionally, bonuses of up to $20,000 will be available to owners and trainers of New York-breds who finish second or third in any state-bred or open maiden juvenile race held during the Aqueduct spring or Belmont spring-summer meets. The bonuses, offered in partnership with the New York Breeding Fund, stipulate that owners will receive $7,000, $4,500 and $2,500 bonuses for first, second and third, respectively. Trainer bonuses will be $3,000, $2,000 and $1,000.

According to a release, NYRA ran 26 juvenile maiden races during the spring and summer in 2016–up from 16 in 2015. Those races attracted 222 total starters, a 65.57% increase year-over-year, and averaged 8.54 starters per race.

“A strong 2-year-old program is important to the Aqueduct and Belmont spring meets and the high demand for the bonus program in 2016 shows us that we're moving our racing program in the right direction,” said Martin Panza, NYRA's Senior Vice-President of Racing Operations. “It's one thing to offer races, but it's another thing to make sure they go. We want our horsemen to feel confident when they send their 2-year-olds to New York in April, May, or June, that we will make every effort to be sure these races are used.”