As much as the racing end of the Sept. 18 opening day at the new and sold-out Belmont Park will be focused on Forever Young in the featured $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (G1), the other eight races on the card should provide a welcoming treat for horsemen and fans.
Though the Gold Cup is the lone stakes, the other eight races are all allowances or maiden special weight races with hefty purses.
The purse range extends from $112,500 to a high of $162,000, with all eight races worth a combined $1,194,000.
For bettors, the good news is the response to the bump in purse money for Friday's card and the desire of horsemen to be a part of the highly anticipated first card of racing at the track since 2023.
Each of the undercard races attracted at least 10 entrants, with the mix of five turf races and three on dirt including fields of 14 or more starters in six races.
A total of 114 horses were entered in the eight races for an average of slightly more than 14 per race.
"Friday is an important moment in New York racing history, and we worked hard with racing secretary Rob MacLennan to put together a condition book that fits the momentous nature of the event," New York Racing Association senior vice president of racing and operations Andrew Offerman said. "We are grateful for the response we received from our participants, essentially filling the entry box across all of the overnight races.
"It should be very competitive racing and with five races over the two new turf courses, it highlights what Belmont Park is all about."
Opening day at Belmont Park also marks the start of NYRA's Big Apple Bonus which rewards owners and trainers for shipping their horses to Belmont Park for the fall meet.
"There were about 12 horses eligible for the bonus on Friday's card," Offerman said. "It certainly seems like the program has been well received. We've incentivized shipping to and racing in New York and that gets doubled when you add in the opportunity for people to be involved in the opening of a brand new building."
Under the program's rules, horses traveling more than 400 miles to Belmont Park will receive a $6,000 bonus for their first start at the meet, with $4,000 to the owner and $2,000 to the trainer. Horses from 400 or less miles will get $3,000, with $2,000 for the owner and $1,000 to the trainer.
Owners can also earn an additional $2,500 bonus if the horse makes three consecutive starts at the meet.
Offerman noted the stable area at Belmont had roughly 100 more horses than a year ago.
Off-the-turf races Will move to Tapeta Track
While there is no rain in the forecast for Friday, when Mother Nature inevitably intervenes and races cannot be contested on the turf, they will be shifted to Belmont's new innermost Tapeta, all-weather surface.
Offerman said races will not be carded strictly for the Tapeta course until November, which will give NYRA time to prepare for its winter meet that will be held exclusively on the mile Tapeta course.
"We will probably start with one Tapeta race a day in November as we get ready for the winter weather and give ourselves some test races and take some of the pressure off the turf courses," Offerman said. "Our intention is to be a two-surface venue in spring through fall with dirt and turf racing and to use Tapeta in the winter."
