NYRA announces 2026 Belmont at the Big A spring/summer stakes schedule
The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) today announced the stakes schedule for the 2026 Belmont at the Big A spring/summer meet, which will open Thursday, April 30 and continue through Sunday, June 28.
The ongoing construction of a new and re-imagined Belmont Park, which will re-open for live racing on September 18, will again require adjustments to the customary NYRA schedule. The spring/summer meet traditionally held at Belmont Park will again take place at Aqueduct and the 2026 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will be held at Saratoga Race Course for the third and final time.
To allow for the NYRA circuit to shift upstate in advance of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga, the spring/summer meet will pause from May 26-June 2. Following the conclusion of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, live racing at Aqueduct will resume on Thursday, June 11.
Headlined by the Grade 3, $200,000 Peter Pan, the traditional New York prep for the Grade 1, $2 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets, the spring/summer meet will include 16 stakes races at Aqueduct worth $2,475,000 in total purses.
NYRA will waive entry and starting fees to the Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets for the first three finishers of the Peter Pan. The Grade 2 Man o’ War, which was previously held on the weekend of the Peter Pan, will be held during the fall meet at Belmont Park in 2026.
The upcoming completion of a new, re-imagined Belmont Park requires the consolidation of all downstate racing operations at Belmont. As such, the final race day at Aqueduct will be Sunday, June 28. NYRA will pay tribute to Aqueduct with a special closing weekend to honor the legacy of the South Ozone Park oval.
For the complete Belmont at the Big A stakes schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/stakes-schedule/.
The 2026 NYRA calendar of live race dates is available at https://www.nyra.com/inc/schedule/.
*Please note, statistics for the Belmont at the Big A spring/summer meet will include the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.*
