Del Mar limiting field sizes

Maiden races for 2-year-olds at Del Mar this summer will have a maximum of 10 starters, director of racing Tom Robbins said on Thursday.

The decision comes a day after the New York Racing Association announced that 2-year-old maiden races for sprinters at Saratoga this summer will have a maximum of eight starters.

Robbins said the decision was reached after consulting with the Thoroughbred Owners of California. The issue was discussed in the past, but Robbins said the owners’ group rejected the limited field size in a conversation several years ago.

When the discussions resumed on Wednesday, Robbins said an agreement was reached. “We haven’t changed our views,” Robbins said.

Maiden races for juveniles around two turns will have 10 starters.

Sprint stakes for 2-year-olds will have as many as 12 runners over 5 1/2 furlongs, and a maximum of 14 runners in races over 6 1/2 and seven furlongs, he said.

Robbins said the 2-year-old inventory for the Del Mar meeting “is bigger than last year.”

The season begins on July 18 and continues through Sept. 5.

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