Overview
- The racetrack staged its final live card on June 28, drawing an announced crowd of about 6,866 for a nine‑race program that ended a continuous run of live racing at the Big A since 1894.
- The ninth and final race was won by Assume Nothing with jockey Jaime Rodriguez, who said winning at Aqueduct on its last day was a memory he will never forget.
- Aqueduct will remain open only for simulcast wagering through Sept. 7, and fall, winter and spring downstate live racing will be held exclusively at Belmont Park when it reopens on Sept. 18.
- The move follows state legislation tied to a roughly $455 million loan to redevelop Belmont that required NYRA to relinquish Aqueduct’s lease, and officials have not yet decided how the more than 100‑acre Aqueduct site will be repurposed.
- Longtime fans and participants marked the closure with emotional farewells that highlighted decades of history, declining attendance and a wider U.S. trend of urban racetrack shutdowns that could reshape local jobs, land use and the sport’s fan base.