| Monday, December 1, 2014 Contact: Jenny Kellner vkellner@nyrainc.com (718) 659-2244 NYRA announces 2015 Aqueduct winter stakes schedule OZONE PARK, N.Y. - The New York Racing Association today announced the stakes schedule for the 2015 winter meet at Aqueduct Racetrack, with 23 stakes worth more than $3 million as well as the inaugural running of the New York Claiming Championship Series scheduled for Saturday, March 21. The winter meet, which runs through March 22, features five graded stakes, including a trio of important events around two turns for newly minted 3-year-olds: the Grade 2, $200,000 Jerome at one mile, 70 yards on January 3, the Grade 3, $250,000 Withers at 1 1/16 miles on Saturday, February 7, and the Grade 3, $400,000 Gotham, also at 1 1/16 miles, on Saturday, March 7. Rounding out the graded stakes are the Grade 3, $150,000 Toboggan on February 7 and the Grade 3, $200,000 Tom Fool Handicap on March 7, both at six furlongs. New to the winter schedule is the New York Claiming Championship Series, which will feature a number of lucrative starter allowance races in different categories for the blue-collar horses who comprise the backbone of winter racing at the Big A. "The inaugural New York Claiming Championship Series gives those horses who have run at Aqueduct during the winter months their chance to shine on a prominent day of racing," said Martin Panza, Senior Vice President of Racing Operations for the New York Racing Association. "The Claiming Crown [currently run at Gulfstream Park in December] has been very successful, and we anticipate a great day of championship racing for our claiming horses and an enthusiastic crowd of their loyal followers for this new event." The New Year begins with a quartet of stakes: the $100,000 Affectionately for fillies and mares on Thursday, January 1, the $100,000 Fred "Cappy" Capossela for 3-year-old sprinters on Friday, January 2, the aforementioned Jerome on January 3, and the $100,000 Ruthless for 3-year-old filly sprinters on Sunday, January 4. Also on the schedule are four six-furlong stakes for New York-breds: the $100,000 Hollie Hughes on January 18, the $125,000 Rego Park for 3-year-olds on January 24, the $125,000 Franklin Square for 3-year-old fillies on February 1, and the $100,000 Broadway for filly and mares on February 14. The winter meet concludes on Sunday, March 22, with the 58th running of the $100,000 Stymie at 1 1/8 miles. The stakes schedule for Aqueduct's spring meet, highlighted by the Grade 1, $1 million Wood Memorial and the Grade 1, $400,000 Carter Handicap, will be announced in the coming days. AQUEDUCT WINTER STAKES SCHEDULE: | Race | Stakes | Grade | Purse | Age | Distance | | | | | | | | | | | Thurs., Jan. 1 | Affectionately | | 100,000 | F&M 4&UP | 1 1/16 M | | | Fri., Jan. 2 | Fred "Cappy" Capossela | | 100,000 | 3 YO | 6 Furlongs | | | Sat., Jan. 3 | Jerome | II | 200,000 | 3YO | 1 Mile 70 Yds | | | Sun., Jan 4 | Ruthless | | 100,000 | F 3YO | 6 Furlongs | | | Sat., Jan. 10 | Busanda | | 100,000 | F 3YO | 1 Mile 70 Yds | | | Sat., Jan. 17 | TRIPLE CROWN (Early Closing) | | | | | | | Sat., Jan. 17 | Interborough | | 100,000 | F&M 4&UP | 6 Furlongs | | | Sun., Jan. 18 | Hollie Hughes (NYB) | | 100,000 | 4 & UP | 6 Furlongs | | | Mon., Jan. 19 | Jazil | | 100,000 | 4 & UP | 1 70 Yds | | | Sat., Jan. 24 | Rego Park (NYB) | | 125,000 | 3 YO | 6 Furlongs | | | Sat., Jan 31 | Ladies Hdcp | | 100,000 | F&M 4&UP | 1 1/8 M | | | Sun., Feb. 1 | Franklin Square (NYB) | | 125,000 | F 3YO | 6 Furlongs | | | Sat., Feb. 7 | Toboggan | III | 150,000 | 4 & UP | 6 Furlongs | | | Sat., Feb. 7 | Withers | III | 250,000 | 3 YO | 1 1/16 M | | | Sat., Feb. 14 | Broadway (NYB) | | 100,000 | F&M 4&UP | 6 Furlongs | | | Mon., Feb. 16 | Evening Attire | | 100,000 | 4 & UP | 1 1/16 M | | | Sat., Feb. 21 | Busher | | 100,000 | F 3YO | 1 1/16 M | | | Sat., Feb. 28 | Jimmy Winkfield | | 100,000 | 3 YO | 6 Furlongs | | | Sat., Mar. 7 | Tom Fool Hdcp. | III | 200,000 | 4 & UP | 6 Furlongs | | | Sat., Mar. 7 | Gotham | III | 400,000 | 3YO | 1 1/16 M | | | Sat., Mar. 7 | Cat Cay | | 100,000 | F&M 4&UP | 1 1/16 M | | | Sat., Mar. 14 | Correction | | 100,000 | F&M 4&UP | 6 Furlongs | | | Sun., Mar. 15 | Cicada | | 100,000 | F 3YO | 6 Furlongs | | | Sat., Mar. 21 | New York Claiming Championship Series | | | | | | | Sun., Mar. 22 | Stymie | | 100,000 | 4 & UP | 1 1/8 M | | | Mon., Mar. 23 | TRIPLE CROWN (Late Closing) | | | | | |
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