Belmont Park Opens For 2013 Fall Meet

After an exciting summer of racing at Saratoga, the focus for thoroughbred fans in New York and around the world switches to Belmont Park on Saturday, as the famous Long Island racetrack kicks off its 2013 fall meet. The calendar includes 37 days of racing, concluding on October 27, 2013, and includes 31 stakes races, of which 21 are graded-stakes events. Live racing will be held every week, Wednesday through Sunday, with an initial post time of 1:05 PM ET in September, and 12:50 PM ET in October.

Super Saturday features five Grade One races

The highlight of the meet will no doubt be September 28, 2013 – dubbed ‘Super Saturday’ – when Belmont will host six graded stakes events, with five of those being Grade I races, including the $1,000,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup Invitational. All of those graded-stakes races are part of the 2013 Breeders’ Cup Challenge ‘Win and You’re In’ series, with the victor granted automatic entry to one of the corresponding BC World Championships races, to be held November 1-2, 2013, at Santa Anita Park.

Belmont a stepping stone to 2012 BC victories

Last year, four horses who competed in Super Saturday events went on to win Breeders’ Cup races, including Fort Larned (third in JC Gold Cup, won BC Classic); Little Mike (fifth in Joe Hirsch Turf Classic, won BC Turf); Royal Delta (won Beldame Invitational, won Ladies' Classic); Zagora (second in Flower Bowl Invitational, won Filly & Mare Turf). Two other entry-paid trips to the Breeders’ Cup will be available on October 5, 2013, when Belmont Park will host both the Grade I, $500,000 Foxwoods Champagne for two-year-olds and the Grade I, $500,000 Frizette for two-year-old fillies.