Del Mar slates 43 stakes, bumps overnight purses

Del Mar has made only minor revisions to the stakes schedule for its 37-day summer meeting, which runs from July 17 to Sept. 4, with an emphasis on increasing overnight purses for maiden special weight races and allowance races.

Del Mar has scheduled 43 stakes worth $7.8 million, an increase of $50,000 from the 2012 meeting. The richest race remains the $1 million Pacific Classic for 3-year-olds and older on Aug. 25. The Pacific Classic is one of seven Grade 1 stakes during the meeting.

The additional money for the 2013 stakes program was dedicated to 10 overnight stakes, which have had their purses increased from $85,000-added in 2012 to $90,000-added this year.

Two turf stakes for California-breds have been increased $50,000, to $150,000 – the California Dreamin’ over 1 1/16 miles on July 21 and the Solana Beach Handicap for fillies and mares over a mile Aug. 18.

The purse of the Grade 2 Yellow Ribbon Stakes has been cut from $250,000 last year to $150,000 this year. The race was previously run as the Palomar Handicap and was worth $150,000 in 2010 and 2011.

Overnight purses for higher-quality horses have been increased substantially from the start of the 2012 meeting, but closely reflect what was paid last year after the track made a retroactive purse increase of 9.6 percent.

For this year, a maiden special weight race will be worth $75,000, compared to $70,000 at the start of 2012. A first-condition allowance race will be worth $77,000, an increase from $71,000 last year. A starter allowance for maiden winners for $40,000 claiming or less will be worth $43,000, an increase of $3,000 from last year.