The 2025 Remsen Stakes (G2), a key Road to the Kentucky Derby prep for 2-year-olds, takes place Saturday, December 6, 2025, at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. Run at 1 1/8 miles on dirt, this Grade 2 event stretches juveniles over classic two-turn distance early in the Derby trail, identifying stamina prospects five months before the 2026 Kentucky Derby. As NYRA’s winter meet opener highlight, the Remsen pairs with the Demoiselle Stakes (G2) for fillies, creating a stakes-loaded holiday card.
Aqueduct’s 2025 Remsen Stakes purse is $250,000, maintaining its status as one of the richest juvenile Derby preps nationwide. This quarter-million-dollar reward draws East Coast powerhouses like Pletcher, Asmussen, and Repole, with recent winners such as Fierceness parlaying Remsen success into Triple Crown runs. The purse supports deep fields, positioning early points earners for winter progression at Gulfstream and Oaklawn.
Aqueduct Racetrack’s inner dirt oval hosts the Remsen during peak Thanksgiving weekend racing, with first post around noon Eastern fueling national simulcast action. The Big A surface favors tactical speed, mirroring Derby pace dynamics while testing winter maturity against speedier juvenile sprints. Horseplayers target the Remsen as the anchor of high-value Pick 4s and Pick 5s, boosting handle alongside holiday crowds.
On the Road to the 2026 Kentucky Derby, the 2025 Remsen Stakes awards 10-5-3-2-1 qualifying points to the top five finishers in the early Prep Season tier. Official Derby schedules slot it alongside the Los Alamitos Futurity and other juvenile tests, where a win jumps a colt into top-20 contention on the initial leaderboard. Placings build foundation for higher-value February-March preps like the Withers or Gotham.
Remsen alumni dominate Kentucky Derby stories, with the race’s 1 1/8-mile test separating true classic routers from sprinters in a deep juvenile crop. Recent editions produced horses like City of Light and others who carried Big A points into Churchill Downs success, reinforcing its prophetic status. Aqueduct’s winter configuration ensures the 2025 renewal follows the same blueprint for Derby trail impact.
2025 Remsen Stakes at the Aqueduct – Saturday, December 6th, 2025. Race and time to be determined as it gets closer to raceday!
