Etc. . . .

Suffolk Downs will increase purses for its winter-spring meet beginning Jan. 1 to an average of $92,000 daily, an increase of approximately 10 percent. The track credited recent Massachusetts legislation that will allow account wagering in the state for the increase, the track's second since September. . . . The Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association of Ontario has signed a three-year contract with Nordic Gaming Corporation, owners of Fort Erie Racetrack. The contract, covering purse distribution, revenue splits, and general racing matters, is the first between the HBPA and Nordic, which purchased Fort Erie from the Ontario Jockey Club in 1996.