Aqueduct Racetrack

History

Operating near the site of a former conduit of the Brooklyn Waterworks that brought water from eastern Long Island to the Ridgewood Reservoir, 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, Saratoga Race Course, and Jamaica Race Course, 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 of the firm Arthur Froehlich and Associates of Beverly Hills, California. 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.

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 until March 1, around when off-track betting began in New York City, creating a demand for horse racing to be contested in the region year-round.

One annual meeting was 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 was Aqueduct's marquee race, which culminates the winter meet. The Remsen and Cigar Mile were major races that began the winter meet. The prestigious Jockey Club Gold Cup was usually run there between 1958 and 1974, and what was perhaps the track's most distinctive race, the marathon 2+1⁄4 miles (3.6 km) Display Handicap, was last contested in 1990.

From 1963 through 1967, races normally run at Belmont Park, including the Belmont Stakes, were run at Aqueduct while Belmont's grandstand was being rebuilt. The track played host to the second ever Breeders' Cup on November 2, 1985.

2007 proposal to close track

In May 2007, reports indicated that then-New York Governor Eliot Spitzer was considering closing Aqueduct and selling the 192-acre (0.78 km2) track and its stables, which then housed 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 8 miles (13 km) east in Elmont, New York, 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 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. 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 325,000 square feet (30,200 m2) 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.

2012 proposal for convention center

On January 4, 2012, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced plans to construct a new convention center on the Aqueduct Racetrack to replace the aging Javits Center. It would have been the country's largest convention center, featuring hotels, restaurants, and expanded gambling. Building the convention center would have required additional land, which might have included nearby City-owned lots leased to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey 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.

2026 closure

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 Belmont Park 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. The Belmont renovation was completed in 2026.

In early 2023, Governor Kathy Hochul announced that the state would provide $455 million in capital funds to redevelop 110 acres of state-owned land at the Aqueduct Racetrack site. Community engagement workshops and site planning for the redevelopment of the Aqueduct Racetrack site will begin in May 2026.

The last day of races at Aqueduct were run on June 28, 2026. The facility remained open for simulcasting and off track betting until September 7, 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 in Islandia.

The casino features four automated table games—baccarat, blackjack, craps, and roulette—and a wide array of video slot machines. 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 after that races were called by Chris Griffin. Durkin came out of retirement to call the second race on the closing day of Aqueduct on June 28, 2026.

Racing

The following graded stakes were run at Aqueduct:

Grade II:

Carter Handicap

Demoiselle Stakes

Gazelle Stakes

Remsen Stakes

Red Smith Handicap

Wood Memorial Stakes

Cigar Mile Handicap

Grade III:

Non-Graded:

Discontinued:

Affectionately Handicap

Fred "Cappy" Capossela Stakes

Gallant Fox Handicap

Next Move Handicap

Sport Page Handicap

Stuyvesant Handicap

Valley Stream Stakes

Transportation

The track has its own New York City Subway station, Aqueduct Racetrack, served by the IND Rockaway Line (A train). 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 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.

The Sopranos episode "Pie-O-My" features a number of scenes at the racetrack.