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Big A set to commence 39-day fall meet The 2008 New York Racing Association season will begin its final chapter Wednesday when a 39-day stand kicks off at Aqueduct in Queens. To entice more fans to come out to the races, fees for general parking as well as admission to the clubhouse and the Skyline Club have been waived for the duration of the fall meet, which runs through December 31. Fees remain, however, for clubhouse and valet parking, and fans will also see a 50-cent increase in the cost of printed programs. Stakes purses, excluding overnight events, will total $2,875,000. The centerpiece of the 26-stakes schedule is the $300,000 Cigar Mile H. (G1) on November 29, which anchors a lucrative Thanksgiving Saturday of action that also includes the $200,000 Remsen S. (G2) and $200,000 Demoiselle S. (G2), prestigious events for juveniles and juvenile fillies, respectively. Preps for those two races, Sunday's $100,000 Nashua S. (G3) and $100,000 Tempted S. (G3), are among the highlights of the opening weekend of action along with Saturday's $150,000 Long Island H. (G3) for fillies and mares on the turf. There are six other graded stakes during the meet: the November 8 Red Smith H. (G2) for older horses on turf; the November 28 Top Flight H. (G2) for fillies and mares; the November 15 Stuyvesant H. (G3) for older horses; the November 22 Discovery H. (G3) for three-year-olds; the December 13 Queens County H. (G3) for older horses; and the December 27 Gravesend H. (G3), a six-furlong sprint for older horses. Three stakes with storied histories will also be renewed this fall: the Fall Highweight H. on November 27; the Ladies H. on December 14; and the Gallant Fox H. on December 31. All but one of the other stakes on the calendar are restricted to New York-bred or -sired runners. Racing will be held each day except Mondays and Tuesdays. Post time is 12:30 p.m. (ET) except for Thanksgiving Day, November 27, when first post is 11:25 a.m. There will also be a special post of 12:25 p.m.on November 28-29. Aqueduct will take a holiday recess with no racing scheduled from December 15 through Christmas Day, December 25. Racing resumes on December 26. Wednesday's nine-race opening card is highlighted by the $65,000 Best of Luck S. for three-year-olds over nine furlongs, a probable stepping-stone to the Discovery H. The select field of five includes the once-beaten TIN CUP CHALICE (Crusader Sword), recent winner of the Indiana Derby (G2). His only loss occurred to FAMOUS PATRIOT (Repent) in the Step Nicely S. two back, but that rival was a badly beaten ninth in the Indiana Derby rematch. STORM PLAY (Smart Strike), who is undefeated in two starts, and NATIONAL PRIDE (Macho Uno), who has won three of four, have loads of potential. The field is rounded out by WEB GEM (Fusaichi Pegasus), a head second in the West Virginia Derby (G3) two back.
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