Calder raises purses again

Calder Race Course has raised its purses for the second time in the last seven weeks, boosting overnight purses 5 percent effective with Thursday’s program. Calder had originally raised purses 7.5 per cent on June 3.

The latest increase will be applied to base overnight purses and excludes stakes, Florida Owner Awards, and maiden special weight races. The owner awards and maiden special weight races were both increased last month.

The latest increase brings Calder’s average daily purses, including stakes, to $230,000 daily. That figure is up from $209,000 last year and $187,000 in 2009.

“Purse contributions from slot machine gaming offered through the Calder casino have been better than expected,” said Calder’s vice president and general manager, John Marshall. “As always, we’ll continue to manage the purse account responsibly.”

Phil Combest, president of the Florida Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, expressed the gratitude of all horsemen for the latest increase.

“We’re pleased to see that Calder is implementing this 5-percent increase after the initial purse bump last month. Hopefully, we’ll be able to build on this momentum and see further increases going forward into the meet.”