Aqueduct winter meet starts Jan. 1, features 20 stakes

Photo:

Jason Moran / Eclipse Sportswire

The New York Racing Association said its stakes schedule for the 49-day winter meet at Aqueduct will feature 20 stakes worth $3.1 million in total purses.

The 2025 winter meet opens Wednesday, Jan. 1. and continues through Sunday, March 30. With the exception of opening week, live racing will be conducted Thursday to Sunday from the week of Jan. 9 through the week of Feb. 27. Aqueduct will host a Presidents’ Day card on Monday, Feb. 17. The winter meet will offer three-day race weeks Friday through Sunday throughout March.

NYRA has increased the purses of 10 winter-meet stakes races by $25,000. As a result, the Busanda, Ruthless, Damon Runyon, East View, Say Florida Sandy, Broadway, Correction, Gander, Maddie May and Jimmy Winkfield will be offered with a purse of $125,000.

The Aqueduct winter-meet stakes action kicks off on Saturday, Jan. 4 with the $150,000 Jerome, a one-turn mile for sophomores. As the first of three Kentucky Derby prep races at the meet, the Jerome will offer 10-5-3-2-1 qualifying points to the top five finishers.

Saturday, Jan. 11, will feature the Ladies at nine furlongs for older fillies and mares, with the following Saturday offering the nine-furlong Busanda for sophomore fillies on Jan. 18. The Busanda will provide 20-10-6-4-2 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points to the top-five finishers.

The listed Interborough will headline the Saturday, Jan. 25 card as older fillies and mares sprint seven furlongs.

Graded action at the winter meet kicks off on Saturday, Feb. 1 with the Withers (G3) at nine furlongs offering 20-10-6-4-2 Kentucky Derby qualifying points as part of a stacked card that also includes the Toboggan (G3), a seven-furlong sprint for older horses, and the Ruthless at seven furlongs for sophomore fillies.

NYRA will highlight New York-breds on Saturday, Feb. 8 with a pair of $125,000 events at seven furlongs in the Damon Runyon for sophomores and the East View for sophomore fillies. Both the Damon Runyon and East View previously were contested at six furlongs.

Saturday, Feb. 15 will offer the Say Florida Sandy for older state-breds at seven furlongs. On Saturday, Feb. 22, the listed Heavenly Prize Invitational will see a field of older fillies and mares travel a one-turn mile, The following day, Sunday, Feb. 23, will offer the Broadway with older state-bred fillies and mares sprinting seven furlongs.

The centerpiece of the March stakes calendar is the one-mile Gotham (G3) on March 1, providing 50-25-15-10-5 Kentucky Derby qualifying points. The Gotham Day card includes the Tom Fool (G3) for 4-year-olds and up going six furlongs, the listed Stymie at one mile for older horses, and the listed one-mile Busher for 3-year-old fillies, offering 50-25-15-10-5 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points. A lucrative weekend includes the six-furlong Correction for older fillies and mares on Sunday, March 2.

New York-breds will again take center stage on Saturday, March 8, with a pair of $125,000 events at a one-turn mile, the Gander for sophomores and the Maddie May for sophomore fillies.

The Aqueduct winter meet stakes calendar concludes with the $125,000 Jimmy Winkfield, a six-furlong sprint for sophomores on March 15.

A trio of races previously offered at the 2024 winter meet, the Haynesfield, Excelsior and Biogio’s Rose, will be run during the 2025 Aqueduct spring meet. The Franklin Square, Rego Park and Cicada, which previously were held during the winter meet, will not be run in 2025.