Higher-level races worth more at Santa Anita meeting

ARCADIA, Calif. – Purses for the spring-summer meeting at Santa Anita that begins Friday are unchanged from the winter-spring meeting that ended last weekend but vary from purses for the corresponding dates run at Hollywood Park last year.

Purses for maiden special weight and allowance races are higher than at Hollywood Park, while purses for some claiming races are the same or lower.

In Friday’s first race, California-bred 2-year-old fillies run in a maiden special weight race over 4 1/2 furlongs with a purse of $56,000. The same race at Hollywood Park was worth $52,000 in late April 2013.

A second-level optional $62,500 claimer around two turns will be worth $60,000, an increase of $3,000 over a similar race at Hollywood Park.

Purses for maiden sprinters entered for a $30,000 claiming price are the same for both meetings at $23,000. An $8,000 claiming race for female sprinters is unchanged from last year at $17,000.

Some claiming races were worth more at Hollywood Park.

A sprint for $10,500 to $12,500 claimers was worth $23,000 at Hollywood Park. At this meeting, those horses race for a $21,000 purse. A sprint for $18,000 to $20,000 claimers was worth $29,000 at Hollywood Park, compared with $26,000 at the current meeting.