NEW YORK — By Pat McKenna

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) announced post times for the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, which will be held at historic Saratoga Race Course from Thursday, June 6 through Sunday, June 9.

Highlighted by the 156th edition of the Grade 1, $2 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets on Saturday, June 8, the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will include 24 stakes races with purses totaling $10.25 million.

The Festival opens with four stakes on Thursday, June 6: the Grade 2, $250,000 Belmont Gold Cup offering a ‘Golden Ticket’ for an automatic berth into the Group 1, AUD$8.4 million Lexus Melbourne Cup on November 5 at Flemington Racecourse in Victoria, Australia; the Listed $150,000 Jersey Girl; the Listed $150,000 Tremont and the $150,000 Astoria.

Post time for the 10-race program on June 6 is 12:50 p.m. (all times ET). Admission gates will open to the public at 11 a.m.

Friday, June 7 will feature three Grade 1 events among four stakes topped by the $750,000 New York presented by Rivers Casino; the $500,000 DK Horse Acorn and the $500,000 Just a Game. The Grade 2, $200,000 Intercontinental presented by MTV Solutions rounds out the stakes action on the second day of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.

Post time for the 12-race program on June 7 is 12:20 p.m. Admission gates will open to the public at 10:30 a.m.

A blockbuster Belmont Stakes Day at Saratoga awaits on Saturday, June 8 with a program to include six Grade 1 events among nine stakes races in total, culminating with the Belmont Stakes and featuring three Breeders’ Cup “Win And You’re In” qualifiers: the Grade 1, $1 million Hill ‘N’ Dale Metropolitan Handicap [Dirt Mile]; the Grade 1, $500,000 Ogden Phipps presented by Ford [Distaff]; and the Grade 1, $500,000 Jaipur presented by Resolute Racing [Turf Sprint].

Read the full story on Belmontstakes.com