Del Mar Decreases Overnight Purses

Del Mar will reduce overnight purses for a second consecutive year, according to Del Mar Thoroughbred Club vice president of racing and industry relations Tom Robbins.

Robbins said the drop will be "about 10% across the board." The most noticeable decrease in the first condition book for the summer meet is in maiden special weight events, which will dip from $70,000 to $63,000, the lowest those races have been since 2011.

"The reasoning is, we can only pay out what we generate from handle," Robbins said. "We've paid out, in the last two years, a little more than we've generated. This is not only set by us, but also the (Thorougbred Owners of California)."

Robbins pointed to several factors to explain the decrease—including heavy rains during Del Mar's opening weekend in 2015 and the first season of dirt racing after an extended period of racing on a synthetic main track—but the most influential aspect, as it has been for the whole Southern California racing landscape, appears to be how the region adapts to carrying more racing dates without the presence of Hollywood Park, which closed in 2013. Santa Anita Park has taken the largest chunk of Hollywood Park's dates in the first half of the year, but Del Mar has taken over a month in the fall, outside of its traditional summer slate.

"We're trying to recover a little bit," Robbins said. "If we didn't have a fall meeting, we wouldn't be in this position."

Robbins stressed, however, that the overnight purses are still the highest in California and high on the national level, when considering other jurisdictions get funding from outside revenue streams.

"We're still paying more—you can't compare us with New York or other states that have the benefits of slots or casinos," Robbins said. "We're doing it the old-fashioned way."

Using maiden special weight races as a barometer, Del Mar reached $75,000 in purses for 2013 and 2014 and dropped to $70,000 in 2015 before this year's decrease. Maiden special weight purses were $63,000 in 2011 and $70,000 in 2012.

Del Mar opens its summer meet July 15.