Owners, trainers eligible for starter bonuses at four-day Belmont at Saratoga meet

Owners and trainers who start horses during the four-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga (June 6-9) will be eligible for additional money as the result of a bonus program announced Tuesday by the New York Racing Association.

Owners will be eligible for a starter bonus for horses finishing fourth through last in all races offered during the four days of racing at Saratoga. The bonus will be $1,500 for horses in stakes, $1,000 for horses starting in overnight races.

Trainers will be eligible for a $750 bonus for all horses starting in stakes and a $500 bonus in all overnight races. Unlike the owner bonus, which starts with horses finishing fourth or worse, trainers are eligible for the bonus if the runner finishes in the top three as well.

Owners and trainers who start more than one horse in a race are eligible for the bonus per qualifying horse.

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Eligible runners must be declared an official starter and must not be placed on the poor performance list or veterinarian list following the race. Horses beaten 25 lengths or more are automatically placed on the poor performance list, thus negating any bonus money.

Trainers must comply with all NYRA and regulatory race and safety rules. NYRA reserves the right to determine eligibility for qualified starters. Steeplechase participants are not eligible.

Topped by the $2 million Belmont Stakes on June 8, there are 24 stakes races worth a total of $10.25 million scheduled for the four-day program.

In addition to the bonuses offered, NYRA had previously announced purse increases for overnight races. Open company maiden special weight races will have a $100,000 purse, while New York-bred maidens will be worth $85,000.

Open allowance races also received purse bumps to $115,000 for second-level, $110,000 for first-level. The New York-bred first-level allowance purse was increased to $90,000.

“The bonus program along with a lucrative purse schedule should incentivize participation in what is sure to be a unique and special edition of the Festival,” Andrew Offerman, NYRA Senior Vice President of Racing and Operations, said in a press release.

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