Del Mar has sharply reduced overnight purses for its upcoming autumn meeting after a decline in business at the summer meeting that ended on Sept. 8. The track recently published a condition book detailing the proposed races for the 16-day fall meeting from Oct. 31 to Dec. 1. A maiden race will be worth $54,000 this fall compared to $61,000 in 2023, while the purse of a first-condition allowance race has been reduced from $63,000 in 2023 to $55,000 this year. The reductions affect lower-class races, too. A $25,000 claiming race will have a purse of $31,000, down from $36,000 last year. A $20,000 claiming race for maidens, the lowest class offered, will be worth $19,000 compared to $22,000 last year. Thoroughbred tracks throughout Southern California have reduced purses for more than a year because of declines in handle. Tracks in the state operate without a secondary source of revenues for purses, such as slot machines or casinos, that subsidize purses in a majority of states across the country. Del Mar cut purses in advance of its 2023 autumn meeting and again before its summer meeting earlier this year. As recently as the summer of 2023, Del Mar increased purses for some categories of races after a gain in business in the summer of 2022. The summer meeting that ended last month showed a decline in handle compared to the summer of 2023. The upcoming fall meeting at Del Mar includes the Breeders’ Cup races on Nov. 1-2. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.