Belmont Purses get 13% hike courtesy of 'Toga

[Kasept]

ELMONT, N.Y. – Starting with the card on Saturday, September 25, The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will increase purses at Belmont Park’s fall championship meet by approximately 13 percent. Average daily purses for the Belmont meet will be $480,000, up from the initial projected figure of $425,000. With purses for overnight races increasing roughly 13 percent across all categories, some of the changes include:

• Overnight stakes races will increase to $70,000 from $60,000
• Open money allowance routes will increase to $63,000 from $56,000
• Open maiden special weight routes will increase to $52,000 from $46,000
• Starter allowance routes will increase to $47,000 from $42,000
• New York-bred maiden special weight routes will increase to $44,000 from $39,000

NYRA was able to increase overnight purses for the Belmont Meet due to higher than projected wagering activity at the 2010 Saratoga Race Course meeting and a purse underpayment by $500,000 at the Saratoga meet instead of the projected $2.5 million overpayment.