NYRA to increase purses at Belmont Park

The New York Racing Association will offer significant purse increases when Belmont Park opens for racing this September.

Purses for a first-level allowance/optional-claiming race will increase from $88,000 to $105,000 and a second-level allowance/optional-claiming races increase from $90,000 to $108,000, according to a release put out Thursday afternoon by the NYRA. An open allowance, without any claiming condition, goes up from $100,000 to $115,000.

Maiden special weight races will receive an 18 percent increase from $85,000 to $100,000, while New York-bred maiden special weights will enjoy a 25 percent boost from $80,000 to $100,000. New York-bred first-level allowance purses go from $81,000 to $105,000 and a second-level state-bred race increases to $108,000 from $82,000.

Purses for claiming races will increase from 4.6 percent to 15.7 percent depending on the level.

“By raising purses to record levels, NYRA is creating valuable racing opportunities for participants based in New York and those interested in experiencing Belmont Park for the first time,” said Andrew Offerman, NYRA’s senior vice-president of racing and operations, said in a release. “These new purse levels also emphasize the benefits of foaling in New York, which is centrally important to the future of racing in the Empire State.”

Belmont Park is scheduled to open Sept. 18. To mark the occasion, NYRA will increase these record overnight purses by an additional 50 percent specifically for that day’s program.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.