Aqueduct Racetrack is a

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

facility and

casino A casino is a facility for gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...

in the

South Ozone Park South Ozone Park is a neighborhood in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Queens. It is just north of John F. Kennedy International Airport, between Aqueduct Racetrack to the west and the Van Wyck Expressway to the east. A ...

and

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

neighborhoods of

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Aqueduct is the only racetrack within New York City limits. Its races usually run from late October/early November through April. The track has three courses: the main track (dirt), with a circumference of , whose infield holds the Main Turf Course and the Inner Turf Course, measuring . The track has

seating capacity Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that ...

of 17,000 and total capacity of 40,000. The racetrack and the adjacent headquarters of the

New York Racing Association The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) is the not-for-profit corporation that operates the three largest thoroughbred horse racing tracks in the state of New York (state), New York, United States: Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park, Q ...

(NYRA) sit on a site controlled by the New York State Franchise Oversight Board, which leases about to the

Resorts World New York City Resorts World New York City is a casino hotel in Jamaica, Queens, in New York City. The facility was opened in 2011 on 72.6 acres leased from the New York State Franchise Oversight Board; it is part of a 172-acre lot that is also home to Aquedu ...

casino and hotel.

History

Operating near the site of a former conduit of the

Brooklyn Waterworks The Brooklyn Waterworks, also known as the Milburn Pumping Station, was a historic building in Freeport, Long Island. Designed by noted Brooklyn architect Frank Freeman and completed in 1890, it was described as "Long Island's most ambitious Roman ...

that brought water from eastern

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

to the

Ridgewood Reservoir Ridgewood Reservoir is a decommissioned 19th century reservoir and freshwater wetland on the border between the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, within what is now Highland Park. Although the reservoir was originally built to sec ...

, Aqueduct Racetrack opened on September 27, 1894, by the Queens County Jockey Club. The track was named " Aqueduct" after the former Ridgewood Aqueduct. The facility was expanded and a new clubhouse constructed before the 1941 summer meet. In 1955, the Greater New York Association took over Aqueduct along with

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a thoroughbred racing, thoroughbred horse racetrack in Elmont, New York, just east of New York City limits best known for hosting the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the American Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United Stat ...

Saratoga Race Course Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track located on Union Avenue in Saratoga Springs, New York, Saratoga Springs, New York (state), New York, United States. Opened in 1863, it is often considered to be the oldest major sporting v ...

, and

Jamaica Race Course Jamaica Race Course, also called the Jamaica Racetrack, was an American thoroughbred horse racing facility operated by the Metropolitan Jockey Club in Jamaica, Queens, New York City. History The track opened on April 27, 1903, a day which featu ...

, deciding to make major upgrades to Aqueduct, after which Jamaica Race Course would be sold for redevelopment as a housing project. Aqueduct closed in 1956, reopening September 14, 1959, after $33 million of renovations designed by noted racetrack architect

Arthur Froehlich Arthur Froehlich (May 17, 1909 – October 3, 1985), was an American architect in Beverly Hills, California. His firm, Arthur Froehlich & Associates, is known for their mid-century commercial building designs, and thoroughbred horse racetra ...

of the firm Arthur Froehlich and Associates of

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hills ...

. The Equestris Restaurant in the clubhouse opened in 1981 and was the largest restaurant in New York City at the time. Additional renovations were made in 2001, 2006, and 2007. Before 1976, the Inner Dirt Track was a turf course known as the Main Turf Course, with the present turf course being the Inner Turf Course; following the conclusion of racing in 1975 the grass on the Main Turf Course was uprooted and the Inner Dirt Track took its place to permit year-round racing. (In the years after Aqueduct was rebuilt in 1959 the track lay idle from early November until April 1; by 1971 this period had been reduced to from just before

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

until March 1, around when

off-track betting Off-track betting (or OTB; in British English, off-course betting) is sanctioned gambling on greyhound racing or horse racing outside a race track. U.S. history Before the 1970s, only the state of Nevada allowed off-track betting. Off-track bet ...

began in New York City, creating a demand for horse racing to be contested in the region year-round.) Currently, one annual meeting is held at Aqueduct, usually from the last Wednesday in October until the first Sunday in May. Races had been run on the Inner Dirt Track between the Wednesday after Thanksgiving until just before the Wood Memorial in recent years. Prior to 1977, a summer meeting also was held at Aqueduct, from mid-June to late July. The Wood Memorial is Aqueduct's marquee race, which culminates the winter meet. The Remsen and Cigar Mile are major races that begin the winter meet. The prestigious

Jockey Club Gold Cup The Jockey Club Gold Cup, established in 1919, is a thoroughbred flat race, held at the Saratoga Race Course in the United States, that is open to horses of either gender three-years-old and up. It has traditionally been the main event of the fal ...

was usually run there between 1958 and 1974, and what was perhaps the track's most distinctive race, the marathon

Display Handicap The Display Handicap was an American long distance Thoroughbred horse race held annually from 1955 through 1990. A race for 3-year-olds and up, it was run at the Jamaica Race Course from inception through 1958 at a distance of 2 miles. In 1959 the ...

, was last contested in 1990. From 1963 through 1967, races normally run at Belmont Park, including the

Belmont Stakes The Belmont Stakes is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over the worldwide classic distance of . Colt (horseracing), Colt ...

, were run at Aqueduct while Belmont's grandstand was being rebuilt. The track played host to the second ever

Breeders' Cup The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Graded stakes race, Grade I Thoroughbred racing, Thoroughbred horse races, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was ...

on November 2, 1985. Aqueduct is the site of the first (and still the only) triple

dead heat A dead heat is a rare situation in various racing sports in which the performances of competitors are judged to be so close that no difference between them can be resolved. The result is declared a tie and the competitors are awarded a joint ra ...

for the win in a stakes race. In the 1944 running of the Carter Handicap, Brownie, Bossuet, and Wait A Bit hit the finish line at the same time. On April 8, 2006, during an eleven-race program at Aqueduct that included the

Wood Memorial Stakes The Wood Memorial Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually in April at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. It is run over a distance of 1 1/8 miles (9 furlongs) on dirt. The Wood Memor ...

, a rare event happened when dead heats for each of the three "money" positions (Win, Place, and Show) occurred in three separate races: Saint Anddan and Criminal Mind dead-heated for Place in Race 5; Naragansett and Emotrin dead-heated for Show in Race 6; and Karakorum Tuxedo and Megatrend dead-heated for Win in Race 10. Aqueduct Racetrack Main Track

Hall of Fame horse

Cigar A cigar is a rolled bundle of dried and Fermentation, fermented tobacco leaves made to be Tobacco smoking, smoked. Cigars are produced in a variety of sizes and shapes. Since the 20th century, almost all cigars are made of three distinct comp ...

won the first two races in his 16-race win streak at Aqueduct. After he switched from grass to dirt, Cigar's first win was by eight lengths in an allowance race on October 28, 1994, and was followed by a seven-length win in the NYRA Mile on November 26, 1994, a Grade 1 race that was renamed in the horse's honor in 1997. On May 31, 1965, 73,375 spectators were on hand at Aqueduct and watched

Gun Bow Gun Bow (1960 – December 1979) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. He was one of America's leading older male racehorses in 1964 and 1965 and was later inducted into the Hall of Fame. Gun Bow was noted for his rivalry with five-time Ame ...

win the Metropolitan Mile. At the time, it was the largest crowd to ever attend a thoroughbred horse racing event in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. Champion racehorse

Secretariat Secretariat may refer to: * Secretariat (administrative office) * Secretariat (horse) Secretariat (March 30, 1970 – October 4, 1989), also known as Big Red, was a champion American thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who was the ninth winn ...

was retired at Aqueduct before the public on November 6, 1973. He was paraded for the last time to the public and took his last steps on a racetrack there. He was then sent to stud at Claiborne Farm. From 1978 to 2011, the Aqueduct Flea Market was held on Saturdays, Sundays, and Tuesdays, and was located in the racetrack's north parking lot along

Rockaway Boulevard Rockaway Boulevard is a major road in the New York City borough of Queens. Unlike the similarly named Rockaway Beach Boulevard and Rockaway Freeway, it serves mainland Queens and does not enter the Rockaways. Route description It begins as ...

. The

flea market A flea market (or swap meet) is a type of street market that provides space for vendors to sell previously owned (secondhand) goods. This type of market is often seasonal. However, in recent years there has been the development of 'formal' ...

contained over 500 vendors and offered a hodgepodge of goods, including bedding, incense, pots and pans, and other items.

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

celebrated Mass in front of a crowd of 75,000 at Aqueduct on October 6, 1995. After the financial collapse and closure of the New York City Off-Track Betting Corporation on December 10, 2010, Aqueduct Racetrack saw an increase in patrons for the first time in several years. On December 11, one day after NYCOTB's closure, the number of patrons who entered Aqueduct's doors increased 61% (5,444 customers) compared to the previous year (3,378 customers). The New York Racing Association, which owns Aqueduct, took advantage by offering former NYCOTB customers free bus shuttle service from select former NYCOTB branches to Aqueduct Racetrack with a free hot dog, soft drink, and Post Parade program. In May 2017, NYRA announced that they would resurface the main track with a limestone base, and convert the inner dirt track back into a turf course. The changes were completed in time for the start of the 2017 fall meet on November 3. With this change, the main track will now be used for winter racing.

Redevelopment efforts

2007 proposal to close track

In May 2007, reports indicated that then-New York Governor

Eliot Spitzer Eliot Laurence Spitzer (born June 10, 1959) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 54th governor of New York from 2007 until his resignation in 2008 after a prostitution scandal. A member of the Democratic Party, he was also ...

was considering closing Aqueduct and selling the track and its stables, which currently house 400 horses, to developers when the New York Racing Association lease expired at the end of 2007. According to the reports, Belmont Park, which is east in

Elmont, New York Elmont is an unincorporated Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in northwestern Hempstead, New York, Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, New York, United States, along its border with the borough ...

, would have become a nearly year-round track and would get the video lottery machines authorized to operate at Aqueduct. Belmont Park would have been modified to handle winter requirements, which would have included heated stands and the construction of new stables. According to the plans that were discussed, the oldest and most historic track in the state, Saratoga Race Course, would have been operated by the New York Racing Association, and a new entity would have operated Belmont Park. Aqueduct traditionally has been considered a track frequented by

blue collar A blue-collar worker is a person who performs manual labor or skilled trades. Blue-collar work may involve skilled or unskilled labor. The type of work may involve manufacturing, retail, warehousing, mining, carpentry, electrical work, custodia ...

fans while Belmont Park has a more upscale reputation. State Assembly Member Audrey I. Pheffer (D), whose district included Aqueduct, fought the closing of the track, which she felt was important to the local community. Any closure at Aqueduct, which is equipped for the cold winter months, would have required millions of dollars in renovations at Belmont, a summer-only track. Belmont is also hampered by its north-oriented grandstand, which would cause shadows in the winter months. Belmont is one of few racecourses in the United States (

Santa Anita Park Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious race ...

and

Thistledown Racecourse Jack Thistledown Racino is a thoroughbred race track and casino in North Randall, Ohio, at the outskirts of the city of Cleveland. It is owned by Vici Properties and operated by Jack Entertainment. History and Information The track came unde ...

being the others) to be north-oriented. Most others are oriented either east or (rarely) west or south. NYRA was planning to cease all operations after completing the racing card of February 10, 2008. This was averted when a deal was reached with NYRA and New York State. To help raise capital, NYRA sold of vacant land near Aqueduct in June 2009. The land that was auctioned off consisted of residential lots to the west of the

IND Rockaway Line The IND Rockaway Line is a rapid transit line of the IND Division of the New York City Subway, operating in Queens. It branches from the IND Fulton Street Line at Rockaway Boulevard, extending over the Jamaica Bay, into the Rockaways. At its s ...

2012 proposal for convention center

On January 4, 2012, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the construction of a new convention center on the Aqueduct Racetrack to replace the aging

Javits Center The Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, commonly known as the Javits Center, is a large convention center on Eleventh Avenue between 34th Street and 38th Street in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, New York City. It was designed by architect James In ...

. This would be the country's largest convention center, featuring hotels, restaurants, and expanded gambling. Building the convention center would require additional land, which could include nearby City-owned lots leased to the

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, (PANYNJ; stylized, in logo since 2020, as Port Authority NY NJ) is a joint venture between the U.S. states of New York (state), New York and New Jersey, established in 1921 through an interstate c ...

for airport parking or the adjacent racetrack (as racing could be consolidated to Belmont Park). On June 1, 2012, Governor Cuomo announced that plans to build the convention center had been canceled.

Plans to close track

In 2022, the NYRA announced that it would shutter Aqueduct Racetrack in coming years. That December, the NYRA formally announced its intention to upgrade the facilities at nearby

to make it suitable to host year-round thoroughbred racing and training. Once that work is complete, the agency is to give up its lease of Aqueduct and consolidate horse racing at Belmont. In early 2023, Governor

Kathy Hochul Kathleen Hochul ( ; ; born August 27, 1958) is an American politician and lawyer who has served since 2021 as the 57th governor of New York. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, she is New York's List of female ...

announced that the state would provide $455 million in capital funds to redevelop 110 acres of state-owned land at the Aqueduct Racetrack site. The Belmont renovation is slated for completion in late 2026.

Resorts World New York City

The Aqueduct Racetrack complex includes the Resorts World New York City casino and hotel. It was proposed in the late 2000s and opened in late 2011, the first Resorts World to be built in America. It is the first and only legal casino in New York City, and one of three in the region, with Empire City Casino and

Jake's 58 Hotel & Casino Jake's 58 Hotel & Casino is a casino hotel located within the Incorporated Village of Islandia, in Suffolk County, New York, United States. History Jake’s 58 opened in 2017, taking over the space which used to be a Marriott hotel. The purpo ...

in Islandia. The casino features four automated table games—

baccarat Baccarat or baccara (; ) is a card game. It is now mainly played at casinos, but formerly popular at house-parties and private gaming rooms. The game's origins are a mixture of precursors from China, Japan, and Korea, which then gained popularit ...

blackjack Blackjack (formerly black jack or ''vingt-un'') is a casino banking game. It is the most widely played casino banking game in the world. It uses decks of 52 cards and descends from a global family of casino banking games known as " twenty-one ...

craps Craps is a dice game in which players gambling, bet on the outcomes of the roll of a pair of dice. Players can wager money against each other (playing "street craps") or against a bank ("casino craps"). Because it requires little equipment, " ...

, and

roulette Roulette (named after the French language, French word meaning "little wheel") is a casino game which was likely developed from the Italy, Italian game Biribi. In the game, a player may choose to place a bet on a single number, various grouping ...

—and a wide array of video

slot machine A slot machine, fruit machine (British English), poker machine or pokie (Australian English and New Zealand English) is a gambling machine that creates a game of chance for its customers. A slot machine's standard layout features a screen disp ...

s. Baccarat is played with real playing cards, dealt inside a machine.

Track announcers

Sportscaster Tom Durkin was the chief track announcer at Aqueduct and the other NYRA tracks until his retirement on August 31, 2014. Races were called by John Imbriale until 2023 and since then races have been called by Chris Griffin.

Racing

The following graded stakes will run at Aqueduct in 2025: Wood Memorial Stakes 2012

Grade II: *

Carter Handicap The Carter Handicap is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for three-years-old and older run over a distance of seven furlongs run annually in early April at Aqueduct Racetrack. Race history First run in 1895, the race was named fo ...

Demoiselle Stakes The Demoiselle Stakes is a stakes race for thoroughbred horses open to two-year-old fillies who are willing to race the one and one-eighth miles on dirt. The Grade II event is run at Aqueduct Racetrack every November for a current purse of $250, ...

Gazelle Stakes The Gazelle Stakes (formerly Gazelle Handicap until 2004) is an American thoroughbred horse race held annually at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, New York. It is a Graded stakes race, Grade III event run over a distance of miles on dirt that is ...

Remsen Stakes The Remsen Stakes is an American Grade II race for Thoroughbred horse race run annually near the end of November at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. The one and one-eighths mile race is open to two-year-olds and currently offers a purse of ...

Red Smith Handicap The Red Smith Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. A race on turf open to horses age three and older, it is typically run in November over a distance of miles (11 furlongs). Inaugur ...

Cigar Mile Handicap The Cigar Mile Handicap is a Grade II American thoroughbred horse race for horses aged three-years-old and older over a distance of one mile and is held in late November or early December at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. The event carr ...

Grade III: Non-Graded:

Transportation

The track has its own

New York City Subway The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system in New York City serving the New York City boroughs, boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. It is owned by the government of New York City and leased to the New York City Tr ...

station,

Aqueduct Racetrack Aqueduct Racetrack is a Thoroughbred horse racing facility and casino in the South Ozone Park, Queens, South Ozone Park and Jamaica, Queens, Jamaica neighborhoods of Queens, New York City, United States. Aqueduct is the only racetrack within ...

, served by the

(). It has only one platform on the Brooklyn-bound side, requiring southbound travelers to transfer to a northbound train at Aqueduct–North Conduit Avenue station, which is located a few blocks to the south. NYRA also operates a free shuttle bus between the North Conduit Avenue station and the Clubhouse entrance. The Q37 bus route serves Aqueduct Racetrack and was rerouted in 2011 to serve the casino. The Q7, Q11 and Q41 bus routes also pass nearby.

In popular culture

* The film ''

Lucky Number Slevin ''Lucky Number Slevin'' (also known as ''The Wrong Man'' in Australia) is a 2006 black comedy neo-noir crime thriller film directed by Paul McGuigan and written by Jason Smilovic. The film stars Josh Hartnett, Lucy Liu, Bruce Willis, Stanley T ...

'' features scenes at "Aqueduct Racetrack", which were filmed at a track in Canada. * There is a scene with Aqueduct Racetrack in the movie ''

A Bronx Tale ''A Bronx Tale'' is a 1993 American coming-of-age story, coming-of-age crime film, crime drama film directed by and starring Robert De Niro in his directorial debut and produced by Jane Rosenthal, adapted from Chazz Palminteri's A Bronx Tale (p ...

''. * ''

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The series follows Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey American Mafia, Mafia boss who suffers from panic attacks. He reluct ...

''episode "

Pie-O-My "Pie-O-My" is the 44th episode of the HBO original series ''The Sopranos'' and the fifth of the show's fourth season. Written by Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess, and directed by Henry J. Bronchtein, it originally aired on October 13, 2002. St ...

" features a number of scenes at the racetrack.

References

External links

Aqueduct Racetrack official site

* ttps://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/30/nyregion/30flea.html?scp=9&sq=%22Genting%20New%20York%22&st=cse A Flea Market Considers Its Fate in a Casino World {{coord, 40, 40, 20, N, 73, 49, 47, W, type:city_region:US_scale:10000, format=dms, display=title Horse racing venues in New York City New York Racing Association Sports venues in Queens, New York 1894 establishments in New York (state) Sports venues completed in 1894 Ozone Park, Queens