Belmont, Saratoga purses skyrocket, thanks to casino cash

Largely due to the casino at Aqueduct, horsemen who win races this summer at Belmont Park and Saratoga will feel like they hit the jackpot.

Dramatic purse increases are in the offing for both the Belmont spring/summer meet and Saratoga, according to the purse structure and stakes schedule released Wednesday by the New York Racing Association.

Average daily purses at the 58-day Belmont meet that begins April 27 will be $620,000, a 44-percent increase from the $430,000 daily average paid out last year. That includes 35 stakes worth a total of $9,050,000, up from $7,150,000 in 2011.

But, wait, there’s more.

At Saratoga, average daily purses will skyrocket to $930,000, a 39-percent increase from the $670,000 average paid out in 2011. Saratoga will offer 54 stakes worth $14,750,000 in purses, compared with 52 stakes worth $10,925,000 in 2011. Saratoga’s 40-day meet runs from July 20 through Sept. 3.

“The purse increases for overnight and stakes races for the upcoming Belmont Park and Saratoga meets confirm NYRA’s leadership position in Thoroughbred racing,’’ said P.J. Campo, NYRA’s vice president/director of racing. “The enhanced purses should result in larger field sizes, stimulate additional wagering activity, and increase profitability for NYRA.”

Campo said the purse structure is based on an average of $350 win per slot machine at Resorts World Casino at Aqueduct, which opened last October and resulted in a 36-percent increase in purses at Aqueduct.

At Belmont, a maiden special weight race going short will be worth $70,000, a $20,000 increase from 2011. A maiden route race will be worth $75,000, a $24,000 increase from last year. Allowance races will have their purses increased by $20,000 (short) and $24,000 (long). Statebred maiden and allowance races get purse bumps of $15,000 (short) and $19,000 (long). All claiming races will have their purses increased by $12,000.

At Saratoga, maiden sprints will be worth $80,000, compared with $50,000 in 2011, and routes will be worth $85,000, compared with $51,000. A first-level allowance race will be worth $82,000 (short) and $87,000 (long). Statebred maiden and allowance races will get increases of $20,000 (short) and $24,000 (long). Claiming pots will also go up by $12,000 in each category when compared with 2011 levels.

All but nine of the 35 stakes scheduled for Belmont received an increase, topped by the Metropolitan Handicap, which went from $500,000 to $750,000. The Met Mile is run on Memorial Day (May 28), a card that will now include the Grade 1 Acorn for 3-year-old fillies and Grade 1 Ogden Phipps for older fillies and mares.

The Phipps got a $150,000 increase to $400,000. The Woody Stephens and True North, both run on the Belmont Stakes (June 9) undercard, also got increased to $400,000 from $250,000. The Belmont Stakes purse remains at $1 million.

In 2011, NYRA moved the Futurity and Matron for 2-year-olds to the spring meet. This year, they will be run in the fall.

Thirty-four stakes at Saratoga received an increase and there have been several scheduling changes as well.

NYRA has eliminated the Ruffian, which lost its Grade 1 status, and supplemented the purse of the Personal Ensign (Aug. 26) to $600,000 from $300,000. Also, the Personal Ensign has been shortened from 1 1/4 miles to 1 1/8 miles. Combined with the elimination of the now Grade 3 Shuvee at Belmont, there are now just two route stakes for older fillies and mares on this circuit from April through August. There used to be four.

Campo explained that nationwide the last five years the average field size in filly and mare stakes as 6.2 horses. Campo said built the schedule somewhat around races such as the $300,000 La Troienne (May 4) at Churchill and $750,000 Delaware Handicap, typically run in mid-July.

“We’re changing some things to see what works,” said Campo, who said the Personal Ensign would be “the premier filly and mare race of the summer.”

Another significant change to the Saratoga stakes program is the Grade 2 Fourstardave Handicap (Aug. 11) will now be run at one mile and be worth $500,000. It had been run at 1 1/16 miles and worth $150,000.

The Sword Dancer, typically run on the second Saturday of August, has been moved to Aug. 18 and will share the spotlight with the Grade 1 Alabama. Both races got $100,000 purse increases to $600,000.

NYRA moved the Grade 1 Prioress from Belmont to Saratoga and it will serve as a prep for the Grade 1 Test, which has been moved to Travers Day, Aug. 25. The Victory Ride, previously run in Saratoga, has been moved to the Belmont meet. The Test and the King’s Bishop – also on Travers Day – and the Ballerina, run in the previous day, had their purses doubled to $500,000.