Sam Houston Increases Overnight Purses
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Photo: Coady Photography
Horses sprint toward the finish line at Sam Houston Race Park
Overnight purses at Sam Houston Race Park have been increased for the remainder of the 2021 Thoroughbred meet, the Texas track announced Feb. 14. The adjustment will be implemented Feb. 17 and continue through the conclusion of the racing season April 3.
All main track overnight purses will be increased by $7,000 and turf purses will be boosted by $2,000. The increases reflect the strong start of the current meet in which Sam Houston has seen a handle increase of 40%. This was bolstered by a record-setting handle of $5.3 million on its Jan. 31 Houston Racing Festival card.
Frank Hopf, Sam Houston's senior director of racing operations, credited the support of horsemen and the nation's horseplayers, who enjoy the industry-low takeout of 12% on multi-race wagers.
"This increase would not be possible without the ongoing support from our horsemen," said Hopf. "We welcomed back a solid number of barns and received stall applications from many new outfits this year. Additionally, we had tremendous interest from nationally prominent trainers for our six Houston Racing Festival stakes. Racing fans continue to respond to our racing product and comprehensive wagering menu."
On Feb. 20 Sam Houston will conduct six stakes for Texas-breds as part of Texas Preview Night. All seven stakes races on Texas Champions Day March 20 have been increased from $75,000 to $100,000.