Turfway to Increase Stakes, Allowance Purses

Turfway Park will increase purses for the seven stakes races on its schedule from January through March, director of racing Tyler Picklesimer announced Dec. 13. The Northern Kentucky racetrack also will raise purses for allowance races by $1,500 beginning Dec. 14 and continuing through the rest of the holiday meet that ends Dec. 31.

The allowance and stakes purses gain from a surplus in Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF) money available to Turfway. The KTDF portion of the purse is available to horses bred in Kentucky. 

"After meeting with the KTDF advisory committee on Monday (Dec. 9), we learned we would enter the winter/spring meet with a substantial surplus of KTDF purse funds," Picklesimer said.  "The committee, the Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, and Turfway together agreed that the best use of those funds is to reward Kentucky horsemen with an increase in allowance purses. Increasing our stakes purses benefits the horsemen as well by offering better purses for their better horses and should increase the caliber of those races."

Purses for the Wintergreen, Forego, 96ROCK, and Cincinnati Trophy stakes increase to $60,000 each; with the $10,000 increase for each purse derived from the KTDF.

The purse for the John Battaglia Memorial Stakes, a listed race, returns to $100,000, with $25,000 coming from the KTDF. The purse for the Bourbonette Oaks (gr. III), a designated points race for the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I), increases to $125,000, again with $25,000 from the KTDF.

The Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati Spiral Stakes (gr. III), a designated points race for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), retains last year's purse of $550,000 with the inclusion of $50,000 in KTDF money.