The Empire Classic Handicap is a Thoroughbred horse race restricted to New York breeds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Set at a distance of one and one eighth miles on the dirt, this ungraded stakes race is open to three-year-olds and up, and currently offers a purse of $300,000.
Inaugurated in 1976 as the Empire Stakes, the Empire Classic (renamed in 1994) ran as a six furlong event for two-year-olds from 1976 to 1988 and from 1990 to 1993. It was run at Belmont Park from 1989 to 1991, from 1993 to 1995, and from 1997 to the present. Saratoga Race Course hosted the event in 1992 and Aqueduct Racetrack in 1996. When it was renamed in 1994, it also changed its distance to nine furlongs.
The Empire Classic is named after New York state's nickname, "The Empire State".
The George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award has been presented by Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, annually since 1950 to the thoroughbred horse racing jockey in North America who demonstrates high standards of personal and professional conduct both on and off the racetrack.
Jerry D. Bailey is an NBC Sports thoroughbred racing analyst and a retired American Hall of Fame jockey.
The Coaching Club American Oaks is a race for thoroughbred three-year-old fillies and the second leg of the Triple Tiara of Thoroughbred Racing. Originally run at Belmont Park, the Grade I $500,000 stakes race was moved to Saratoga Race Course in 2010.
The Woodward Stakes is an American Grade Il stakes race and is one of the premier races for older thoroughbred horses in the United States. It is named for prominent racehorse owner William Woodward.
The Hopeful Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. Open to two-year-old horses, the Hopeful is the first Grade I stakes for two-year-olds each season and historically has been a showcase for some of the top East Coast horses at that age group. Raced on the dirt over a distance of seven furlongs, the Grade I event currently offers a purse of $350,000.
The Whirlaway Stakes is a race for Thoroughbred horses held in February at Aqueduct Racetrack. The Whirlaway Stakes is open to three-year-olds willing to race one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt. It is an ungraded event offering a purse of $100,000 added. The Whirlaway is the second of four two-turn races for 3-year-olds run in New York prior to the Kentucky Derby.
The Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey is an American thoroughbred horse racing honor for jockeys first awarded in 1971. Part of the Eclipse Awards program, it is awarded annually.
The Bertram F. Bongard Stakes is a listed stakes race for Thoroughbred two-year-olds run in the fall at Belmont Park, New York.
Gander was a thoroughbred race horse by Cormorant out of Lovely Nurse by Sawbones. His pedigree includes the top British horse Ribot, as well as Tom Fool, Count Fleet, Bimelech, Eight Thirty, Noor, and Hyperion.
The Sport Page Handicap was an American thoroughbred horse race run annually at Aqueduct Race Track in Ozone Park, Queens, New York for three-year-olds and up. Formerly a Grade III event, it's set at a distance of 7 furlongs on the dirt and offers a purse of $150,000 added.
Mike Venezia Memorial Award is an American Thoroughbred horse racing honor given annually by the New York Racing Association to honor a jockey who exemplifies extraordinary sportsmanship and citizenship. The award was created in 1989 to honor the memory of jockey Mike Venezia, who was killed in a racing accident in October, 1988 at Belmont Park.
Javier Castellano is a Venezuelan jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing.
The Ruthless Stakes is an American open or non-Graded stakes race held yearly since 1974 at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York City. Run in January, it is a six furlong thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies carrying a weight of 121 pounds (54.9 kg). The Ruthless currently offers a purse of $100,000.
The De La Rose Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in late July/early August since 2004 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. An ungraded stakes race, it is open to fillies and mares, 4-years-old and up. The race is run at a distance of one mile on the turf and offers a purse of $70,000 added.
The New York Stallion Series was created by the New York Thoroughbred Breeders', Inc. The races are run at Aqueduct Racetrack and/or Belmont Park and feature the progeny of stallions standing in the state of New York.
The Evan Shipman Handicap (NYB) is a race restricted to New York bred Thoroughbred horses, age three-years-old and up, run at Belmont Park in the state of New York.
The Busanda Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race that is held at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York in mid-January each year; the 42nd outing was held in 2015.
The Gravesend Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York late in the year. In its 61st running in December 2017, the Gravesend was downgraded from a Grade III event to ungraded status. This race is for three-year-olds and up and set at a distance of six furlongs. It offers a purse of $100,000 added.
The Mount Vernon Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually near the end of May at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Contested on turf at a distance of a mile, it is restricted to Fillies and mares age three and older who were bred in the State of New York
Irad Ortiz Jr. is a Puerto Rican jockey who has been a leading rider in the New York Thoroughbred horse racing circuit since 2012. He won his first Breeders' Cup race on Lady Eli in 2014, and his first American Classic on Creator in the 2016 Belmont Stakes. He won the 2022 Belmont Stakes on Mo Donegal.