- The 2022 Belmont Stakes will be held on June 11, 2022 at New York’s Belmont Park.
- The entire Saturday card at Belmont Park is downright loaded with a total of 8 Grade 1 stakes races plus the Grade 2 Brooklyn Handicap.
- First post for the thirteen race card at Belmont Park is 11:20 AM Eastern.
The Belmont Stakes gets all of the attention from the mainstream sports media, but the full 13 race Saturday card at Belmont Park is loaded with high level horse racing excitement. Of the 13 races on the card there are 8 Grade 1 stakes races along with the Grade 2 Brooklyn Handicap. Outside of the two day Breeders’ Cup held annually in November there’s not a single race card in North America that offers as many excellent races as the Belmont Stakes undercard. First post is 11:20 AM Eastern.
Let’s pull out the NYRA Condition Book and run down the full card for Saturday, June 11, 2022 at Belmont Park:
The day begins with three allowance races:
FIRST RACE
SECOND RACE
THIRD RACE
Races for NY bred horses age three years old and up. Entrants must meet several other conditions:
–have never won $15,000 other than maiden, claiming or starter.
–have never won two races.
Race 1 is six furlongs on the dirt track, Race 2 is a six furlong turf race for fillies and mares age three and up, Race 3 is a one mile race on the dirt track. Purse for the first two races are $80,000 USD with a purse of $92,000 USD for the third race. 7 runners in the first race with 2-1 Win for Gold the favorite. Eight runners in the second race with the Todd Pletcher trained entry of Power Agenda and Bright Future the 2-1 favorite. Race three has five entries with Echo Zulu the 3-5 morning line favorite.
FOURTH RACE–THE 29th RUNNING OF THE LONGINES JUST A GAME
GRADE 1–$500,000 USD PURSE
Named after the top filly of 1980 and sponsored by the Longines watch company, the Just A Game Stakes is a Grade 1 race held on the turf course over a distance of one mile with a purse of $500,000 USD. The event is open to fillies and mares four years old and up. There are five horses entered with French shipper Speak of the Devil a 1-1 favorite.
FIFTH RACE–THE 133rd RUNNING OF THE BROOKLYN
GRADE 2–$400,000 USD PURSE
This race was known for years as the ‘Brooklyn Handicap’. It was first run in 1887 at the Gravesend Race Track on Coney Island and called three other tracks home before moving to Belmont Park for good in 1977. The race is for four year olds and up running a mile and a half. Seven horses are entered with Lone Rock a 2-1 favorite.
SIXTH RACE–THE 38th RUNNING OF THE WOODY STEPHENS STAKES PRESENTED BY MOHEGAN SUN
GRADE 1–$400,000 USD PURSE
Named for the Hall of Fame trainer, The Woody Stephens Stakes is contested by 3-year-olds at a distance of seven furlongs with a purse of $400,000 USD. Six horses are entered with the Chad Brown trained Jack Christopher a 1-2 chalk.
SEVENTH RACE–THE 54th RUNNING OF THE OGDEN PHIPPS
GRADE 1–$500,000 USD PURSE
Race is named after the late Ogden Phipps, a stockbroker turned racing owner/breeder. He was a founding member of the New York Racing Association (NYRA) and was chairman of The Jockey Club for 20 years. The Ogden Phipps was run in mid-June until 2014 when it was moved to the Belmont Stakes undercard. The race is a Grade 1 with a purse of $500,000 USD for fillies and mares four years old and up contested over a mile and a half on a dirt track. This is a ‘Win and You’re In’ event–winner will get an automatic entry into the 2022 Breeders’ Cup Distaff. Five horses are entered with Letruska a 6-5 morning line favorite.
EIGHTH RACE–THE 39th RUNNING OF THE JAIPUR STAKES
GRADE 1–$400,000 USD PURSE
Race is named after Jaipur, the top three year old of 1962. Six furlong sprint on the turf track for horses aged three years old and up. This is another Breeders’ Cup ‘Win and You’re In’ event with the winner getting an entry into the 2022 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint. 13 horses are entered with the Wesley Ward trained Arrest Me Red a 5-2 morning line favorite.
NINTH RACE–THE 129th RUNNING OF THE HILL N DALE METROPOLITAN STAKES
GRADE 1–$1,000,000 USD PURSE
Officially known as ‘The Metropolitan Handicap’, this is a Grade 1 stakes race for horses three years old and up running a mile (8 furlongs) on dirt with a purse of $1 million USD. The ‘Met Mile’ has a long history and was first run at Morris Park in 1891 before moving to Belmont Park in 1904. The Met Mile has been run almost every year since with a stint at Aqueduct in the 1960’s. This race was traditionally run in late May but starting in 2014 has been moved back a week to further bolster the Belmont Stakes undercard. Sponsored by the Hill n Dale Farms breeding farm. Another Breeders’ Cup ‘Win and You’re In’ event with the winner getting an entry into the 2022 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. Five horses entered with the John Sadler trained Flightline is the 3-5 morning line favorite.
TENTH RACE–THE 120th RUNNING OF THE RESORTS WORLD CASINO MANHATTAN
GRADE 1–$750,000 USD PURSE
Grade 1 race for horses four years old and up running a mile and a quarter on the inner turf track. The Manhattan has traditionally been run immediately before the Belmont Stakes. Sponsored by the Resorts World Casino. Ten horses are entered by Santin a 7-2 morning line favorite.
ELEVENTH RACE–THE 154th RUNNING OF THE BELMONT STAKES PRESENTED BY NYRA BETS
GRADE 1–$1,500,000 USD PURSE
The main event of the day. The third leg of the Triple Crown for three year olds running a mile and a half. Wood Memorial winner We The People is the 2-1 morning line favorite.
TWELFTH RACE–MAIDEN CLAIMER
$55,000 USD PURSE
Maiden claiming race for horses three years old and up. One mile on the turf. Twelve entries, a horse by the name of North Carolina is the 9-5 morning line favorite.
THIRTEENTH RACE–ALLOWANCE
$80,000 USD PURSE
The day concludes with an allowance race for NY bred filles and mares age three years old and up. Entrants must meet several other conditions:
–have never won $15,000 other than maiden, claiming or starter.
–have never won two races.
Run six furlongs on the inner turf track. Sixteen entries, True Empress is a 7-2 morning line favorite.
