Aqueduct lowered the curtain on 132 years of rich racing history, bidding farewell with an unforgettable final card

In an afternoon charged with deep emotion, thousands of passionate racing fans gathered to say a final, poignant farewell to the historic New York centerpiece, which had served as the theater for countless legendary turf achievements since its doors first opened in 1894

SOUTH OZONE PARK, New York— If anyone had closed their eyes for just a moment on Sunday afternoon, they might have easily believed that the clock had rolled back more than half a century. While on a scale naturally more intimate than during its golden era, Aqueduct Racetrack once again breathed the electric atmosphere of those historic race days that transformed it into one of the most iconic theaters in American racing history.

The grandstands were packed across multiple sections, waves of applause followed the horses as they paraded out onto the track, and roaring cheers erupted with every single photo finish. The long, bustling lines to enter the facility or secure food and drinks completed a vivid, nostalgic postcard that beautifully evoked the absolute heyday of the "Big A."

It was a farewell entirely fitting of its monumental history. After 132 years of hosting world-class Thoroughbred competition, the New York landmark closed its gates for the final time with a poignant nine-race card that masterfully blended deep emotion, nostalgia, and celebration, honoring the legendary equines, human protagonists, and defining moments that shaped generations of turf enthusiasts.

The ultimate emotional peak occurred when veteran rider Kendrick Carmouche, accompanied by several of his backstretch colleagues, actively walked into the grandstand to celebrate and share the moment directly with the fans—a powerful image that perfectly symbolized the unbreakable, working-class bond that always existed between Aqueduct and its local public.

The final competitive page in the track's storied ledger was permanently reserved for Assume Nothing. The six-year-old gelded son of Not This Time captured a $100,000 starter allowance feature, forever securing his place in racing lore as the absolute last winner to score over the historic Queens oval.

His owner, Darryl Abramowitz of DEA Thoroughbreds, was visibly overcome with emotion in the final winner's circle. "This is just incredible," Abramowitz expressed, his voice cracking. "I’ve been in this game since I was a kid, since 1992. To win this specific race is a literal dream come true. I used to come here with my father, my mother, and my grandfather. They are no longer with us, but I know for a fact they were looking down today and sharing this beautiful moment with me."

The afternoon's official on-track attendance reached 6,866 spectators, a number that sits far removed from the racetrack’s most glorious eras. Between 1963 and 1968, when Belmont Park was completely closed for its historic reconstruction and Aqueduct served as the solitary hub for New York racing, the track averaged an astonishing six million visitors per year, playing host to absolute icons of the American turf including Kelso (Your Host), Buckpasser (Tom Fool), and Dr. Fager (Rough'n Tumble).

While those romantic days of racing antiquity have long since passed, this grand finale definitively confirmed that the "Big A" retains an indelible, sacred place in the collective memory of the international turf. The raw emotion displayed throughout its farewell was the ultimate testament that while the starting gates will never open here again, Aqueduct's magnificent legacy will continue to gallop proudly through the history of the sport.