Track-record $1.2M offered at Penn National

Penn National Race Course will offer a track-record $1.2 million in stakes purses this season.

The central Pennsylvania track has scheduled 15 stakes, including seven restricted to statebreds.

Last year, Penn had 12 stakes worth slightly more than $1 million.

As usual, the season's highlight will be the $200,000 Pennsylvania Governor's Cup. The 38th running of Penn National's most prestigious race is part of a six-stakes package over two nights at the end of July in what is billed as the Summer Racing Festival.

The Governor's Cup, contested at five furlongs on turf, is the feature on a July 31 card that includes a pair of $75,000 stakes, the Capital City and the East Hanover Township.

Fillies and mares will be in the spotlight on the July 30 program, which is topped by the $100,000 Jenny Wade Handicap on turf and supported by two $75,000 stakes, the Femme Fatale and the Red Carpet.

The stakes season begins over Memorial Day weekend, with three stakes on May 28. The Danzig and the Wonders Delight, a pair of $75,000 races restricted to Pennsylvania-breds, replace the Power by Far and the Roanoke, two races that were worth $100,000 last year. The third stakes on the May 28 card is the $60,000 Changing Times, an open race for sprinters.

* Penn National will add Tuesday night racing to its live racing calendar beginning this week and continuing through July 13. First post time is 6:30 p.m. Eastern.