Del Mar continues to rework purses for upcoming meet

Del Mar has cut overnight purses by approximately 8 percent for its summer season from July 20 to Sept. 8, continuing a downward trajectory of prize money at Southern California tracks for more than a year.

Del Mar officials told the California Horse Racing Board earlier this year that purses were overpaid by approximately $2 million in 2023. The purse cuts for the forthcoming meeting are an attempt to recoup some of that deficit. Purses were lower at the track’s 2023 autumn meeting compared to the same season in 2022.

For the upcoming meeting, a maiden race will be worth $75,000, down from $80,000 in 2022 and $82,000 last year. A first condition allowance race will have a purse of $76,000, compared to $82,000 in 2022 and $83,000 last year.

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A $20,000 claiming race will be worth $34,000, down from $37,000 the last two summer meetings.

Last month, Del Mar announced a stakes schedule worth $7,875,000 for the upcoming meeting, a reduction of $400,000 from last summer.

With the cuts, Del Mar still offers the highest purses of Southern California tracks, but lags behind some tracks in other states that benefit from revenue generated from other forms of gaming, such as slot machines, casinos or sports betting.

On Aug. 3, Del Mar and the Oak Tree Racing Association have teamed to offer $47,500 in bonuses for owners and trainers who have horses that finish in the first three in five scheduled races – a maiden race for 2-year-old sprinters, a maiden race for fillies and mares at 6 1/2 furlongs, and allowance races at five furlongs on turf and a mile on dirt and turf.

The bonuses will be divided equally between owners and trainers and are worth $5,000 for first, $3,000 for second, and $1,500 for a third-place finish.

Oak Tree, which operated a popular autumn meeting at Santa Anita for decades, and later ran race meetings at Hollywood Park and the Alameda County Fair at Pleasanton, was co-founded by Clement Hirsch, a prominent California owner and breeder.

The Grade 1 Clement Hirsch Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles on dirt will be run on Aug. 3 at Del Mar. The $400,000 purse, includes $100,000 from the Oak Tree Racing Association, according to Del Mar racing secretary David Jerkens. A race has been held in Hirsch’s honor at Del Mar since 2000, the year he died.

The track has made a technical change to eligibility for allowance races, which will now be offered for non-winners of a first-place purse of $21,000 other than maiden, claiming, starter or statebred races. Last summer, such races were restricted to non-winners of a first-place purse of $18,000.

The change to $21,000 will allow runners from some tracks with wins in allowance races with modest purses to remain eligible for allowance races at Del Mar, Jerkens said.

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