Chester Group Race Winners to Receive Free New York Ticket

by Roy Brindley, 20 March 2026

Chester is partnering with the New York Racing Association on an exciting new initiative that will see its big winners earn guaranteed entry into valuable graded races.

Measured Time and William Buick landed the Resorts World Casino Manhattan in 2024. © Getty Images

Key Facts:

• The New York Racing Association and Chester partner up on their major turf races.
• Chester’s Ormonde Stakes winner will receive automatic entry into the Grade-2 Belmont Gold Cup.
• The Huxley Stakes winner will secure guaranteed entry into the $1 million Manhattan Stakes.

Chester Racecourse and The New York Racing Association have announced an agreement linking the world’s oldest racecourse with one of America’s oldest sporting venues. The new allegiance will see winners of Chester’s two biggest races garner guaranteed entry and travel incentives to compete in two of New York’s biggest races.

Under the new initiative, the winner of the Group 3 Ladbrokes Ormonde Stakes, staged during Chester’s Boodles May Festival, will receive automatic entry into the $250,000 Grade-2 Belmont Gold Cup.

The winner of the Group 2 Huxley Stakes, held on the Friday of the Boodles May Festival and Chester’s biggest annual contest, will secure guaranteed entry into the prestigious Grade-1 Resorts World Casino Manhattan Stakes. The $1 million race is scheduled for Saturday, 6 June 2026.

Attractive Opportunity to Campaign Horses on the Global Stage

“We’re delighted to be partnering with the New York Racing Association on this exciting new initiative,” said Chester Racecourse’s Racing Director, Patrick Chesters, when announcing the new initiative.

“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.”

“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.”

Saratoga Steps in for Grade-1 Festival Bonanza

The three-day Boodles Chester May Festival – which features the Ormonde and Huxley Stakes – will start with Trials Day, on Wednesday 6 May, followed by the glitz and glamour of Ladies Day on Thursday 7 May, and Ladbrokes Chester Cup Day on Friday 8 May.

The Belmont Gold Cup has been staged at Saratoga Racecourse since 2024 while Belmont Park undergoes a substantial redevelopment programme. This year, the five-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival (at Saratoga) takes place between Wednesday, 3 June and Sunday, 7 June.

The festival will include 10 Grade-1 races among 18 graded stakes. The headline race is the $2 million Belmont Stakes, the third and final leg of the American Triple Crown. The Saturday, 6 June contest will feature the Grade 1 Resorts World Casino Manhattan Stakes on its undercard.

Win, and You’re in Raiding Party Chasing Skyscraper Prizes

Local horses have landed the Belmont Gold Cup for the past two years. Beforehand, the contest had been won by European raiders for six consecutive years. The last two editions featured a ‘golden ticket’ entry into Australia’s $8.4 million Lexus Melbourne Cup.

In 2025, heavy rain forced the race to be held on a ‘sloppy’ dirt track, and it featured just one European challenger. It was won by the Parchment Party, who went on to finish 20th in the famous Australian marathon.

The UK’s Charlie Appleby and William Buick combined for success in the 2024 Manhattan Stakes as Measured Time defeated stablemate Nations Pride to land the spoils. The duo also claimed third position in 2023’s Manhattan Stakes with Ottoman Fleet.

Anglo-American’ win and you’re in’ races are not uncommon. Royal Ascot winners of the Queen Anne Stakes, Prince of Wales’s Stakes and King’s Stand Stakes receive guaranteed entry into the Breeders’ Cup Mile, Turf and Turf Sprint, respectively.

York’s Yorkshire Oaks comes with a secured berth in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf, and its Nunthorpe Stakes features a place in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint. The Sussex Stakes at Goodwood is another ‘win and you’re in’ contest. It offers a place in the Breeders’ Cup Mile.