Presque Isle: Six stakes get $25,000 boost to $100,000

Presque Isle Downs in northwest Pennsylvania will present the same 12 stakes during its 2016 season as it did last year. But six of the events formerly worth $75,000 got purse boosts, making every stakes the track offers worth at least $100,000.

Five stakes for Pennsylvania-breds, along with the Fitz Dixon Jr. Memorial Juvenile, received a purse increase of $25,000 apiece on the stakes schedule worth a cumulative $1.6 million released Friday.

The two biggest races of the 100-day season, which runs May 22 to Oct. 6, will come on back-to-back days in mid-September. The $200,000 Presque Isle Mile will be contested on Sunday, Sept. 18, followed a day later by the Grade 2, $400,000 Presque Isle Masters for fillies and mares going 6 1/2 furlongs.

Presque Isle’s ninth season of live racing will consist of cards from Sunday through Thursday with first post time of 5:25 p.m. Eastern.

The stakes schedule opens with the $100,000 Tom Ridge for 3-year-olds going six furlongs on the second day of the meet on Monday, May 23.