Big purse boost at BEL, SAR..
 

The New York Racing Association today announced significant purse increases for its 2007 Saratoga Meet. Purses will also increase for the final three weeks of the Belmont Park Spring/Summer Meet, effective July 4.

The Belmont Park average daily purses are projected to climb 12 percent or $61,826, from $514,637 in 2006 to $576,463 for the final three weeks of the meet.

The industry leading Saratoga average daily purses will grow a projected 13.6 percent or $92,694, from a daily average of $678,841 in 2006 to a projected $771,535 in 2007.

“Higher purses attract bigger fields and better horses, and will ensure that Saratoga remains the greatest race meet in the country,” said Steve Duncker, Chairman of the New York Racing Association. “Purse increases are good for horsemen, and they’re also good for business. Since Saratoga generates our highest on-track handle, larger fields will increase that handle, and that’s good business.”

At Saratoga this summer, for example, the purse for an open allowance race at a mile and an eighth will increase $17,000 from current levels to $68,000, while a similar event for New York Breds will increase $11,000 to $62,000. The purse for an open maiden sprint will climb

15,000 to $62,000 while the same race restricted to New York Breds will rise $9,000 to $56,000.

"This is great news,” said Rick Violette, President of the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association (NYTHA). “It is good to see that the lines of communication between NYTHA and NYRA are open and the immediate results are purse increases which will benefit every segment of the thoroughbred racing community."


The purse for all Overnight Stakes at Belmont Park and Saratoga will be $75,000.

Great. Hopefully they won't keep giving us 4 horse fields.

"They" aren't giving us the 4 horse fields... That's compliments of the horsemen.

If only it were that simple....

no odds
 

Why are the fields so short in NY ? It makes it near impossible to get a good betting race odds wise.

Well.. you know what I mean v. the "they" aspect...

Not true, I have been playing Finger Lakes lately, good size fields :D

Detention Barns?

Once again -- it's NYRA's fault
 

Purse increases for Belmont and Saratoga -- and a major one at that. I am surprised that with all the criticisms and bashing that NYRA takes, this wouldn't have been discussed. Isn't this NYRA's fault? LOL.

Seriously, I think this is very significant.

http://www.drf.com/news/article/86255.html

http://news.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=39559

Eric

Yeah, the "evil" NYRA...I wonder what "Starts day one" Governor thinks of this! :rolleyes:

this maybe a silly question but if they can raise purses how are they bankrupt?

Because the money used for purses is not NYRA's money. It belongs to the horsemen as part of the negotiated contract concerning the takeout from handle and other sources of revenue. Occasionally the tracks will "overpay" purses where they use more than the alloted amount and have to reach into their pockets to front the horsemans account money.

so who pays for the nyra losses?

Because they run a year round schedule I would gather that NYRA never overpays. I was just answering the question in general. But in the case of an overpayment the track would get the money back from the horsemans account once it had built back up.