Overnight Purses High for Saratoga Meet

The most lucrative North American race meet of the year thus far in terms of overnight purses begins July 22 with the opening of Saratoga Race Course.

The purse for an open maiden special weight event will be $83,000; an entry-level allowance race will go for $85,000 and a second-level allowance test for $90,000. The purses for a New York-bred maiden special weight race and entry-level allowance race are $73,000 and $75,000, respectively.

The minimum purse in the first condition book is $25,000, for $12,500 claimers. Maiden-claimers in for a $30,000 tag will compete for a $40,000 purse. The highest allowance race purse in the first condition book is $93,000 with third-level conditions and a optional claiming price of $80,000.

Saratoga, operated by the New York Racing Association, will again race six programs per week on a Wednesday-through-Monday schedule through Labor Day, Sept. 5. Saratoga purses are supplemented with revenue from video lottery terminals at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Saratoga last year paid $42 million in total purses, up from $41.4 million in 2014, according to The Jockey Club Information Systems. The daily average payout of $1,050,433 was up about $15,000 a day from 2014. Field size last year averaged 8.36 horses per race, up from 7.97 in 2014.

The only other track to offer higher overnight purses this year in the maiden and allowance categories is Kentucky Downs, which will only race five days in September. Kentucky Downs, which has a lucrative historical race wagering operation, has increased purses again this year.

Maiden special weight races will go for $130,000, which includes $72,000 for Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund-registered horses, while entry-level allowance events are slotted at $140,000 ($75,000 from the KTDF).