Purses increased for Pennsylvania-bred stakes

Purses in four $100,000 stakes for Pennsylvania-bred horses have been doubled and two $100,000 Pennsylvania-bred stakes races have been added to this year’s schedule, according to the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association, which manages Pennsylvania’s state-bred program.

The races that will now be worth $200,000 include the Shamrock Rose, for 2-year-old fillies at Penn National on Nob. 26; the Pennsylvania Nursery, for 2-year-olds at Parx Racetrack on Dec. 7; and the Alphabet Soup and Plum Pretty, two races for older horses scheduled for Sept. 25 at Parx, the day of the Pennsylvania Derby.

The two races that have been added to the schedule are both six-furlong stakes for 3-year-olds, the New Start for fillies and the Danzig, both scheduled for Oct. 22 at Penn National. Both races were trimmed from the Pennsylvania-bred schedule at the beginning of the year due to concerns over funding for the program because of ongoing coronavirus restrictions.

“Now that things have gotten much more stabilized, it’s great that we can add stakes and put big purses on the 2-year-old stakes at the right time of the year, where they can catch the attention of people making buying decision at sales,” said Elizabeth Merryman, the chair of the PHBA racing committee. “Buyers are going to look closer at the PA-breds, which helps the breeders.”

The increases and additions will bring the total amount distributed in statebred stakes races to $2.6 million in 2021, the PHBA said.