Boodles May Festival & Belmont Stakes Racing Festival to Partner
The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) and Chester Racecourse today announced a new partnership connecting the Boodles May Festival at Chester Racecourse with the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course.
Chester Racecourse, established in 1539 during the reign of King Henry VIII, is the oldest operational racing venue in the world. Home to the Boodles May Festival along with the Ladbrokes Chester Cup, Boodles Chester Vase and Weatherbys Cheshire Oaks, Chester Racecourse welcomes more than 330,000 racegoers annually across 15 days of live racing.
Saratoga Race Course, named one of the world’s great sporting venues by Sports Illustrated, held its first summer meet in 1863 just one month after the Battle of Gettysburg. Since that first four-day gathering, the annual summer meet has grown to become the most prestigious and important race meet in North America.
To allow for the uninterrupted construction of a new and re-imagined Belmont Park, Saratoga will host the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival for the third and final time from Wednesday, June 3, through Sunday, June 7.
“This is an exciting partnership connecting two of the sport’s most revered and historic venues, which can only expand interest in these important races,” said Andrew Offerman, NYRA SVP of Racing & Operations. “We thank our friends at Chester Racecourse and look forward to a fantastic summer at Saratoga.”
The agreement provides the winner of the 13-furlong [2,692 meters] Group 3, £140,000 Ormonde on Thursday, 7 May at Chester Racecourse with an automatic berth, including entry and starting fees, into the 2-mile [3,219 meters] Grade 2, $250,000 Belmont Gold Cup on June 4 at Saratoga.
The Belmont Gold Cup, which has been won by European shippers in six of the last eight runnings, has served as a ‘Golden Ticket’ qualifier for the Group 1, AUD$8.4 million Lexus Melbourne Cup in each of the last two years.
In addition, the about 10-furlong [2,076 meters] Group 2, £130,000 Huxley on Friday, May 8 at Chester Racecourse will provide a fees-paid automatic berth into the Grade 1, $1 million Resorts World Casino Manhattan at 1 3/16-miles [1,911 meters] on Belmont Stakes Day June 6 at Saratoga.
“We’re delighted to be partnering with the New York Racing Association on this exciting new initiative,” said Patrick Chesters, Racing Director for Chester Racecourse. “Bringing together two of the most historic venues in racing creates a fantastic opportunity to strengthen international connections within racing and showcase the quality of our racing programme at Chester.
“The Ladbrokes Ormonde Stakes and the Huxley Stakes have long been important middle-distance contests in the early part of the season, and this partnership enhances their international significance,” Chesters continued. “To offer guaranteed entry into races of the calibre of the Belmont Gold Cup and the Manhattan Stakes, with the added incentive of travel support, gives owners and trainers a very real and attractive opportunity to campaign horses on the global stage.The potential pathway from the Ormonde through to Belmont is particularly exciting. We will certainly be hoping to tempt some great horses to the Roodee that might have a future trip to America on their radars.”
Connections abound between horses that have raced at both Chester and on the NYRA circuit.
Champion trainer Aidan O'Brien has won the Ormonde a record seven times, including the last two editions with Point Lonsdale [2024] and Illinois [2025]. O'Brien is also a four-time winner of the Huxley, taking the 2017 edition with Deauville, who captured the Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational the previous year at Belmont Park.
Last year's Huxley victor was the Andrew Balding-conditioned The Foxes, who closed to finish second in the 2023 Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational.
The three-day Boodles May Festival at Chester will start with Trials Day, on Wednesday, May 6, followed by the glitz and glamour of Ladies Day on Thursday, May 7, and Ladbrokes Chester Cup Day on Friday, May 8.
The five-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga, which spans Wednesday, June 3 through Sunday, June 7, will offer 25 stakes races worth $11.075 million in purses and is headlined by the Grade 1, $2 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets on Saturday, June 6. For additional details and the full stakes schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont-stakes/racing/bsrf-stakes-schedule/.
Beginning in 2027, the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will return to its Long Island home. In addition, Belmont Park has been selected to host the 2027 Breeders’ Cup World Championships in October 2027, which will mark the first edition of the Breeders’ Cup to be held in New York State since 2005.
FOX Sports is the television home of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, providing viewers across the country with its Eclipse Award-winning coverage of all five days of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.
About NYRA
NYRA is a not-for-profit corporation franchised by New York State to conduct thoroughbred racing at Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course. NYRA tracks are the cornerstone of New York State’s horse racing economy, which is responsible for 19,000 jobs and more than $3 billion in annual statewide economic impact.
NYRA is the parent company of NYRA Bets, LLC, the national advanced deposit wagering platform launched in 2016 and currently available to customers in 37 states. The NYRA Bets app is available for download on iOS and Android at NYRABets.com.
About the Boodles May Festival
The Boodles May Festival takes place at Chester 6 – 8 May, attracting leading owners, trainers and jockeys. The meeting regularly serves as a springboard for horses targeting major domestic and international summer targets. Tickets and hospitality are available to purchase from the Chester Racecourse website and its three days can viewed live on ITV.
