More Alberta-bred bonus money added

TORONTO, Ontario - It will be pretty much status quo for the stakes schedule at Stampede Park this season as 14 stakes, worth a total $800,000, will be offered over the course of the 50-day meeting in Calgary, Alberta, that starts March 23.

The $125,000 Alberta Derby, the meet's premier offering, will be run on June 16, with the $75,000 Penny Ridge, the second-richest stakes on the calendar, being the June 17 closing-day feature.

The other stakes are worth $50,000, although four will feature bonus money for Alberta-breds finishing in the top three.

The bonuses were initiated last year with the Herald Gold Plate and Duchess of York offering $20,000.

This year the Herald Gold Plate bonus has been upped to $37,000 and the Duchess of York to $23,000, while the President's and Mount Royal have been added to the program with $20,000 in bonuses available.

Stampede Park opened for training in late January and approximately 900 horses are on the grounds. The clockers have been on duty since last Thursday.

"We're getting a lot of snow, but we're still going," said Russ Armstrong, Stampede Park's racing secretary.