Hawthorne raising purse values

Hawthorne Race Course, which opens a fall-winter meet on Sept. 23, has announced an across-the-board purse increase effective at the beginning of the track's race season.

Purses will be raised between $500 per race for lower-level claimers and maiden-claimers, and $2,000 per race for open maiden and allowance horses.

At last year's fall Hawthorne meet, maiden special weight races went for $26,000, so maidens this fall will run for $28,000. That is significantly higher than current purse values at Arlington, where a maiden race now is worth only $25,000.