In The Money Telegraph
Sunday, June 28, 2026 · By ITM Staff
Today is the end of an era. Take a moment for the Big A.
Farewell to the Big A
After 132 years, Aqueduct Racetrack runs its final live card this afternoon. The Ozone Park oval first opened its doors on September 27, 1894, and across those generations it hosted nearly everything the sport has to offer — Secretariat’s debut, five runnings of the Belmont Stakes, the Breeders’ Cup, the likes of Man o’ War, Kelso and Cigar, even a papal mass. Fittingly, the ninth and final race ever run at the Big A is named “It Was a Good Run,” with a post time of 5:44 PM ET.
It’s a proper send-off. NYRA has made the closing weekend a ticketed celebration, with every race on the card named for a horse, person or moment from Aqueduct’s history, and the first 1,000 fans through the gates today take home a keepsake container of track-used dirt. After the final race, live racing at Aqueduct ends for good; downstate racing now consolidates at the reimagined Belmont Park, which reopens September 18. But today belongs to the Big A.
The 10 Greatest Races in Aqueduct History
Before the gates swing open one last time, we did something special: we counted down the ten greatest races ever run over that patch of Ozone Park dirt — with a thumb firmly on the scale for the afternoons when the starting gate held more than one champion.
It’s all here. The 1967 Woodward — the “Race of the Century,” with three Horses of the Year (Buckpasser, Damascus and Dr. Fager) in a single field. Man o’ War outdueling John P. Grier in the 1920 Dwyer. Secretariat’s Gotham, with the shocking Wood Memorial loss two weeks behind it. The 1985 Breeders’ Cup Classic. Easy Goer’s clock that still stuns, and Bellamy Road’s 17½-length disbelief. Every replay we could verify is embedded throughout.
Play the Farewell: A $100 Challenge on TwinSpires
If you want a little extra action on the last-ever Aqueduct card, Darin Zoccali and the TwinSpires tournaments team put together something special for the occasion: a $100 Farewell to Aqueduct Challenge where all $100 of your buy-in goes straight to your bankroll — and TwinSpires is sweetening it with a $2,000 seeded cash prize pool on top.
Today’s Cards: Free Analysis From the ITM Team
Playing the races today? Two of our handicappers have full Sunday cards for you:
Laurel. Will Humphrey’s Tips and Trips covers the nine-race Sunday card top to bottom. Read →
Los Alamitos. Dean Keppler’s Sunday selections out West, with Majestic Palisades (Race 2) his best bet. Read →
Your ITM Tour Qualifiers
Friday’s In the Money HorsePlayers Tour feeder did exactly what it’s built to do — it sent 15 entries through to Saturday’s BCBC qualifier. Congratulations to everyone who advanced and took their shot at a Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge seat:
Togo Travalia, Austin Cail, Phil Matzat, Kevin Engelhard, Gary Wright, Jason Batz (two entries), Michael Kavana, Sean McGuire, Kenneth Stiff, Billy Moore, David Browning, Thomas Naber, Matt Letexier and Dan Piazza.
Want in? There’s a feeder every Friday between now and the Breeders’ Cup, and a top-four finish any week books your spot in our season-ending Playoffs.
Start Your NHC Journey: The LRF Cares Contest
Here’s one worth getting in on early. On Saturday, July 18, Little Red Feather Racing and its aftercare charity, LRF Cares, team up with the NHC and Del Mar for the 7th Annual LRF Cares Horseplayer Contest — a $250 Pick & Pray on HorsePlayers.com using all of Del Mar’s races. One 2027 National Horseplayers Championship seat is awarded for every 40 entries (two guaranteed), and every entry supports Thoroughbred aftercare.
And here’s the value angle: HorsePlayers.com is now running qualifiers into it — a great way to start your journey to the NHC for short money. We’re proud to be helping spread the word on this one.
Find the contest and qualifiers on HorsePlayers.com →
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