stakes schedule

The stakes schedule for the 2026 Thoroughbred racing season at Woodbine Racetrack, set to kick off on Apr. 18, was released by Woodbine Entertainment Wednesday. Woodbine's 2026 racing season is highlighted by two $1-million classics: the 167th King's Plate Aug. 15, and the GI Woodbine Mile Sept. 12. The full stakes schedule consists of 39 graded stakes, including five Grade I events. "We're very proud of our stakes program at Woodbine and eagerly anticipate a season filled with outstanding competition," said Michael Copeland, CEO of Woodbine Entertainment. "We look forward...

The stakes schedule for the 2026 summer meet at Saratoga Race Course, which will open Friday, July 3, and continue through Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7, was released by the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) Thursday. Highlighted by the 157th renewal of the $1.25-million DraftKings GI Travers Aug. 29 and the 99th edition of the $1-million GI Whitney Aug. 8, the 46-day summer meet will offer 20 Grade I races among 73 stakes worth over $23,575,000 in total purses. The summer meet will begin with a special July 4th...

The 35th edition of the Aug. 22 $1-million GI Pacific Classic tops 37 stakes slated for this summer's 87th season at Del Mar. The "Classic" will headline a card featuring the GI Del Mar Oaks, GII Del Mar Mile and the GII Green Flash Handicap. Del Mar opens its summer season on Friday, July 17, featuring 32 days of racing through Monday, Sept. 7, Labor Day. This year's stakes schedule will offer $7,775,000 in purses, including five overnight stakes each carrying a $100,000 prize. Additionally, there have been two purses...

The New York Racing Association (NYRA) has released revisions to the stakes schedule as well as a plan for additional race days to account for the weather-related cancellations at Aqueduct, the group announced via press release. In addition to NYRA, the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (NYTHA) and New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. (NYTB), will request approval from the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) to conduct four additional days of live racing Wednesday, Feb. 11, Thursday, Feb. 19, Thursday, Feb. 26 and Thursday, Mar. 5.  An additional card for...

The stakes schedule for the 2026 winter meet at Aqueduct Racetrack will include 20 stakes races worth more than $3.1 million in total purses, the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) announced Wednesday. The 2026 Aqueduct winter meet will open Wednesday, Jan. 1 and continue through Sunday, Mar. 30. The winter meet will offer 45 live race days in total. The centerpiece of the winter meet stakes calendar is the Saturday, Feb. 28 card offering four stakes, led by the one-mile Grade III, $300,000 Gotham, providing 50-25-15-10-5 Kentucky Derby qualifying...

Four stakes written for juveniles--two each for males and females--will be featured during the upcoming six-day winter meeting at Los Alamitos Race Course in Cypress, California. Live racing will take place Friday through Sunday on consecutive weekends between Dec. 5 and 7 and Dec. 12 and 14. The first of the added-money events is the $200,000 GII Starlet Stakes for 2-year-old fillies and a mile and a sixteenth to be run Saturday, Dec. 6. Its male counterpart, the $200,000 GII Los Alamitos Futurity will be contested on Saturday, Dec. 13...

The 2025-26 stakes schedule for Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots will be headed $1-million GII TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby on Mar. 21, according to a track release Wednesday. After an increase last season, Fair Grounds' Road to the Derby remains valued at $1.875 million. The track's 154th racing season will offer 56 stakes worth $8.65 million. Louisiana Derby Day will feature eight stakes totaling $2.65 million, headlined by the 113th Louisiana Derby at 1 3/16 miles. The race awards 100-50-25-15-10 points on the Road to the GI Kentucky Derby. The...

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) has appointed Eric Johnston to the position of stakes coordinator, according to a Friday morning press release by the track operator. Johnston brings more than four decades of racing industry experience to his new role, and was previously the director of racing and sportsbook at Penn National. As the new coordinator, Johnston succeeds Andrew Byrnes, who had held the position since 1999 and will retire at the conclusion of the summer meet at Saratoga. Johnston will assume his stakes coordinator responsibilities Oct. 3....

A stakes schedule packed with $3.575 million in purses will headline this year's 14-day September Meet at Churchill Downs, which runs Thursday, Sept. 11 through Sunday, Sept. 28 and features 11 stakes contests over three weekends. Saturday, Sept. 13 sets the tone with five stakes races led by the $400,000 GII Fasig-Tipton Locust Grove and the first points events on the Road to the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks: the $300,000 GIII Iroquois and $300,000 GIII Pocahontas. The second Saturday of the meet on Sept. 20 includes four more stakes...

Santa Anita Park will offer seven automatic qualifiers for this year's Breeders' Cup races among the 22 stakes races offered during the 2025 Autumn Meet that begins on Friday, Sept. 26. The seven Breeders' Cup Challenge races are slated to be run the first two weeks of the 16-day meet. The late California owner-breeder John C. Harris will be honored with the renaming of the GIII John Harris Stakes to be run on Saturday, Sept. 27. The John C. Harris Stakes will be for 3-year-old fillies on Santa Anita Park's...

The $250,000 Great West Turf Sprint has been added to Remington Park stakes schedule for 2025, featuring 32 stakes worth $3.4 million. The five-furlong dash will be one of eight stakes on the biggest night of racing at the Oklahoma City oval on Sept. 28, including the featured $400,000 GIII Oklahoma Derby. "We feel the addition of the Great West Turf Sprint adds more value to Oklahoma Derby Day and our overall stakes schedule," said Matt Vance, Remington Park executive vice president of racing. "Our turf course is in prime...

Officials at the New York Racing Association (NYRA) have released a 64-strong stakes schedule for the 2025 summer meeting at Saratoga Race Course. The 40-day stand will kick off on Thursday, July 10 and will continue through Labor Day, Sept. 1. Over $20 million in prize money is to be offered across the added-money events, anchored by three seven-figure fixtures, the $1.25-million GI DraftKings Travers Stakes on Aug. 23; the $1-million GI Whitney Stakes on Aug. 2; and the $1-million GI Jockey Club Gold Cup on Aug. 31. The meet's...