Los Alamitos latest Southern California track to raise overnight purses

Los Alamitos has increased overnight purses for its three-week Los Angeles County Fair meeting, which begins on Friday, continuing a recent trend at Southern California tracks.

Earlier this fall, Del Mar increased overnight purses by 10 percent for its autumn meeting, which ended on Sunday. Santa Anita will increase overnight purses for its winter-spring meeting, which begins on Dec. 26, the track announced in November.

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Overnight purses at Los Alamitos have been increased for many categories, including for lower-level runners. A $20,000 claiming race for maidens will be worth $20,000, an increase of 33 percent compared to $15,000 at the track’s two-week summer meeting and the December 2019 meeting.

Purses were hiked to attract larger fields, according to racing secretary Bob Moreno.

Purses for maiden special weight races will be worth $42,000, an increase of $2,000 from recent meetings, or 5 percent, while a first-condition allowance race has been increased $3,000, to $48,000, or 6.7 percent.

The Los Angeles County Fair season runs through Dec. 20 and is the second meeting at the track this year, preceded by a two-week meeting in late June and early July.

From 2014 to 2019, the track ran eight weeks of racing over three meetings each year, including the Los Angeles County Fair meeting in September. Los Alamitos will run three meetings next year comprising seven weeks of racing, according to the California Horse Racing Board.