Belmont Oaks
The Belmont Oaks Invitational Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in early July at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. A Grade I event open to three-year-old fillies, it is raced on turf over a distance of a mile and a quarter (10 furlongs). The current purse is $500,000. The race is a Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win and You're In" event for the Filly and Mare Turf.
| Grade I race | |
| Location | Belmont Park Elmont, New York, United States |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 1979 (as Rare Perfume Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack) |
| Race type | Thoroughbred – Flat racing |
| Website | www.nyra.com |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1+1⁄4 miles (10 furlongs) |
| Surface | Turf |
| Track | Left-handed |
| Qualification | Three-year-old fillies |
| Weight | Northern hemisphere:125 lbs Southern hemisphere:121 lbs |
| Purse | US$500,000 (2023) |
The Belmont Oaks became a Grade I race in 1999. It was previously known as the Garden City Stakes from 2007 to 2013 when it was run in September at 1+1⁄8 miles. From 1996–2006, it was called the Garden City Breeders' Cup, and the Rare Perfume before that. The latter name was in honor of George Widener's racing mare, Rare Perfume. The Garden City name referred to Garden City, New York, a village in the Town of Hempstead in central Nassau County located near the racetrack.