The Maryland Jockey Club and Maryland Horsemen’s Association have announced that purses for four stakes at Laurel Park on June 27, including the Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash, will be increased by $25,000. These increases will allow the track to offer the same purses it did on the Dash card last year. In addition to the Dash, which will now be a $175,000 race for the second straight year, the Deputed Testamony, Alma North, and Japan Racing Association Turf Cup will all be increased from $100,000 to $125,000. The Deputed Testamony and Alma North were both raised to $125,000 last year and will now run for the same purse in 2026. The Japan Racing Association Turf Cup was formerly run as the Prince George’s County Stakes, which was also boosted in 2025. The card will be the second to last at the track before it begins its summer hiatus in July. Between 1999 and 2009, the six-furlong Dash was a Grade 1 race and attracted top dirt sprinters from around the country. For several years in the 2010s, it offered a $350,000 purse, and despite being upgraded back to a Grade 3 in 2016, it was downgraded again in 2022 and run as a $150,000 listed stakes for three years. The purse was raised to $175,000 last year, when Subrogate won in a four-horse field. With the increases in place, Laurel’s June 27 card will now offer a combined $550,000 across four stakes. Nominations close on June 13. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.