Saratoga announces purse increases

Horses will be running for more money this summer at Saratoga.

The New York Racing Association announced Thursday that purses for overnight races for the one-week Belmont Stakes Racing Festival and the 46-day summer meet will increase by a blended average of almost 14 percent.

The largest purse increase will be in the New York-bred maiden 2-year-old division, which will see purses go from $90,000 to $115,000, an increase of 27.8 percent. Maiden 2-year-old races for open company will increase 15 percent to $115,000 as now both open and statebred juvenile maidens will carry the same purse.

Maiden auction races, restricted to horses who sold or failed to reach their reserve of $65,000, will have their purses raised to $90,000 from $80,000.

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Open first-level allowances will increase to $120,000 from $110,000, while second-level allowances will increase to $125,000 from $115,000. New York-bred first-level allowances go to $105,000 from $95,000, and statebred second-level allowances go to $110,000 from $100,000.

The average purse at Saratoga will be $90,961, up 13.8 percent from $79,955.

The five-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will take place from June 3-7. The regular Saratoga meet will run from July 3 to Sept. 7.

These purse increases will not be in play for the three racing weeks (June 11-28) at Aqueduct in between the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival and the opening of the Saratoga summer meet.

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