A talented assemblage of New York-breds lines up to compete in nine different stakes on Empire Classic day Oct. 25 at Aqueduct Racetrack. Among the star state-breds running on Saturday's card include last year's 2024 New York Thoroughbred Breeders' Horse of the Year My Mane Squeeze as as well as 2024 New York-bred champion older horse Bank Frenzy and multiple stakes winner The Wine Steward.
The centerpiece of Saturday afternoon is the $250,000 Empire Classic Stakes for New York-bred 3-year-olds and up. LSU Stables' Bank Frenzy, a six-time winner at Big A, heads a salty group of state-breds for the 1 1/8-mile main track feature.
A 5-year-old son of Central Banker , Bank Frenzy captured three stakes races at Aqueduct over the winter, including the Stymie Stakes against open company. Fourth in the Westchester Stakes (G3) in May, he ran a 104 Equibase Speed Figure when taking the Commentator Stakes at Saratoga Race Course before finishing fifth in the 7-furlong John Morrissey Stakes. The gelding has been unraced since the July 31 John Morrissey.
"He's doing great," trainer Rudy Rodriguez said of Bank Frenzy. "I'm just very pleased the owners gave me the chance to back off a little bit (and target this race). Day by day, we just keep him happy and healthy and hopefully everything goes good. He's very happy."
Bank Frenzy was second in last year's Empire Classic to Mama's Gold, who is absent from this year's seven-horse field.
Jockey Manny Franco, the gelding's rider in his last seven outings, has the call.
Tristar Farm's Doc Sullivan soundly defeated Bank Frenzy this summer with his late-running victory in the John Morrissey. A two-time stakes winner, the 4-year-old son of Solomini returns to face state-breds after turning in back-to-back fourth-place efforts against graded company in the Forego (G1) and Vosburgh (G3) stakes.
Trained by John Ortiz, the Empire Classic will be Doc Sullivan's first time going 1 1/8 miles since he was sixth in last year's Pennsylvania Derby (G1). He was, however, beaten only a nose by Bank Frenzy in the one-mile Alex M. Robb Stakes at the Big A in December.
Also in the field is Chester and Mary Broman's homebred Into Mischief colt, Iron Dome. Raced by the Bromans in partnership with L and N Racing, 3-year-old Iron Dome dominated state-breds by a combined 28 1/4 lengths in a three-race win skein this summer at Saratoga, capped by a triumph in the Albany Stakes.
Second last time out in the Oklahoma Derby (G3), the Empire Classic will be the Steve Asmussen trainee's first try against older horses.
Other stakes for New York-breds on the card include the $250,000 Empire Distaff, the $200,000 Hudson (led by The Wine Steward), the $200,000 Sleepy Hollow, the $200,000 Maid of the Mist, the $200,000 Mohawk, the $200,000 Iroquois (led by My Mane Squeeze), the $200,000 New York Turf Sprint Championship, and the $200,000 Ticonderoga.
Belmont at the Big A, Saturday, October 25, 2025, Race 10Entries: Empire Classic S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 Doc Sullivan (NY) Joel Rosario 126 John Alexander Ortiz - 2 Iron Dome (NY) Ricardo Santana, Jr. 122 Steven M. Asmussen - 3 Dr. Kraft (NY) Jaime Rodriguez 124 Ilkay Kantarmaci - 4 Quick to Accuse (NY) Dylan Davis 124 Panagiotis A. Synnefias - 5 Bank Frenzy (NY) Manuel Franco 126 Rudy R. Rodriguez - 6 Whittington Park (NY) Jose Lezcano 124 Rudy R. Rodriguez - 7 Chief Liam (NY) Christopher Elliott 118 Kenneth G. McPeek -
Entries: Sleepy Hollow S.
Belmont at the Big A, Saturday, October 25, 2025, Race 1
- STK
- 1m
- Dirt
- $200,000
- 2 yo
- 12:10 PM (local)
| PP | Horse | Jockey | Wgt | Trainer | M/L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bravaro (NY) | Dylan Davis | 120 | Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. | - |
| 2 | Fourth and One (NY) | Manuel Franco | 118 | Jeremiah C. Englehart | - |
| 3 | Time to Roll (NY) | Jaime Rodriguez | 120 | Horacio De Paz | - |
| 4 | Max Money (NY) | Ricardo Santana, Jr. | 118 | Michael J. Maker | - |
| 5 | Froutien (NY) | Kendrick Carmouche | 120 | Todd A. Pletcher | - |
| 6 | Gaming Wizard (NY) | Christopher Elliott | 120 | Kenneth G. McPeek | - |
Belmont at the Big A, Saturday, October 25, 2025, Race 2Entries: Hudson S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 Hit the Post (NY) Christopher Elliott 125 Melanie Giddings - 2 Locke and Key (NY) Jose Lezcano 123 James T. Ryerson - 3 Caldo Candy (NY) Luis R. Rivera, Jr. 121 H. James Bond - 4 Vettriano (NY) Kendrick Carmouche 123 Linda Rice - 5 The Wine Steward (NY) Ricardo Santana, Jr. 125 Michael J. Maker - 6 Jackson Heights (NY) Jaime Rodriguez 123 Ilkay Kantarmaci - 7 Grand Opening (NY) Junior Alvarado 123 W. Robert Bailes - 8 Acoustic Ave (NY) Dylan Davis 123 Linda Rice -
Belmont at the Big A, Saturday, October 25, 2025, Race 3Entries: New York Turf Sprint Championship S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 Twenty Six Black (NY) Joel Rosario 125 Horacio De Paz - 2 Waralo (NY) Jose Lezcano 123 Chris J. Englehart - 3 Run Curtis Run (NY) Dylan Davis 123 Michael J. Maker - 4 Dancing Buck (NY) Kendrick Carmouche 123 Michelle Nevin - 5 Bold Journey (NY) Junior Alvarado 123 William I. Mott - 6 Twisted Filigree (NY) Ricardo Santana, Jr. 121 George Weaver - 7 Senbei (NY) Manuel Franco 125 Miguel Clement -
Belmont at the Big A, Saturday, October 25, 2025, Race 4Entries: Maid of the Mist S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 Belloro (NY) Manuel Franco 120 Jeremiah C. Englehart - 2 Mobelladream (NY) Ricardo Santana, Jr. 120 M. Anthony Ferraro - 3 Angel Gift (NY) Kendrick Carmouche 120 Todd A. Pletcher - 4 Rina's Revenge (NY) Christopher Elliott 120 Kenneth G. McPeek - 5 Victory Hall (NY) Junior Alvarado 122 John Alexander Ortiz - 6 Liberty's Advance (NY) Dylan Davis 118 Charlton Baker - 7 Grazie (NY) Eric Cancel 120 Todd A. Pletcher - 8 Letmecounttheways (NY) Joel Rosario 120 Michael J. Maker -
Belmont at the Big A, Saturday, October 25, 2025, Race 6Entries: Mohawk S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 Be of Courage (NY) Ruben Silvera 122 John S. Pregman, Jr. - 2 George Briggs (NY) Dylan Davis 122 Chad C. Brown - 3 Itsallcomintogetha (NY) Jose Antonio Gomez 124 Lisa Bartkowski - 4 Conman (NY) Jaime Rodriguez 124 Ilkay Kantarmaci - 5 Slapintheface (NY) Manuel Franco 122 Anthony W. Dutrow - 6 Clear Conscience (NY) Kendrick Carmouche 126 Amelia J. Green - 7 Outsource (NY) Jose Lezcano 118 Thomas Morley - 8 Sounds Like a Plan (NY) Ricardo Santana, Jr. 118 Horacio De Paz - 9 Leftembehind (NY) Rider TBA 126 Rudy R. Rodriguez -
Belmont at the Big A, Saturday, October 25, 2025, Race 7Entries: Empire Distaff S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 Sweetest Princess (NY) Jose Lezcano 124 Linda Rice - 2 Bernietakescharge (NY) Romero Ramsay Maragh 126 Domenick L. Schettino - 3 Valtellina (NY) Dylan Davis 118 Raymond Handal - 4 Kay Cup (NY) Manuel Franco 122 Jorge R. Abreu - 5 Vehemente (NY) Kendrick Carmouche 122 Joe Sharp - 6 Boxed Wine (NY) Ricardo Santana, Jr. 126 Jorge R. Abreu - 7 Fast and Frisky (NY) Jaime Rodriguez 122 Jorge R. Abreu - 8 Midnight Concerto (NY) Christopher Elliott 122 Kenneth G. McPeek -
Belmont at the Big A, Saturday, October 25, 2025, Race 8Entries: Iroquois S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 Cupid's Heart (NY) Jaime Rodriguez 123 Bruce N. Levine - 2 Storm Changer (NY) Christopher Elliott 122 Dimitrios K. Synnefias - 3 My Mane Squeeze (NY) Ricardo Santana, Jr. 125 Michael J. Maker - 4 Stone Smuggler (NY) Manuel Franco 118 Jorge R. Abreu - 5 Cara's Time (NY) Jose Lezcano 123 Mitchell E. Friedman - 6 Stonewall Star (NY) Dylan Davis 123 Horacio De Paz - 7 Sunday Girl (NY) Katie Davis 125 David P. Duggan - 8 Sterling Silver (NY) Junior Alvarado 125 William I. Mott - 9 Khali Magic (NY) Ruben Silvera 123 Rudy R. Rodriguez -
Belmont at the Big A, Saturday, October 25, 2025, Race 9Entries: Ticonderoga S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 Spinning Colors (NY) Dylan Davis 126 Mark A. Hennig - 2 Can't Fool Me (NY) Luis R. Rivera, Jr. 124 Fernando Abreu - 3 Racing Colors (NY) Jose Antonio Gomez 122 Norman C. Follett - 4 Awesome Czech (NY) Ricardo Santana, Jr. 126 Horacio De Paz - 5 Moonage Daydream (NY) Manuel Franco 124 Jorge R. Abreu - 6 Bobby M's Girl (NY) Katie Davis 122 David P. Duggan - 7 Gallant Greta (NY) Joel Rosario 122 Michael J. Maker - 8 Golden Rocket (NY) Jaime Rodriguez 124 Jamie Ness - 9 Brocknardini (NY) Jose Lezcano 122 George Weaver - 10 Amanda's Folly (NY) Jose Lezcano 126 Linda Rice -
