The Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association has released its 2023 stakes schedule for state-bred horses, with 29 stakes to be run at Pennsylvania tracks throughout the year, seven for PA-Sired PA-Bred runners.
Two-year-olds will have added opportunities, as the 2-Year-Old PA-Sired PA-Bred Stallion Series has expanded in its second year to six stakes worth nearly $1 million.
The first of 23 stakes with purses of $100,000 to will be run Monday, April 24 at Parx Racing: the Unique Bella for fillies and mares, and the Page McKenney Handicap, each at seven furlongs for older horses.
Penn National will host four $100,000 stakes on its Penn Mile card on Friday, June 2 – two for 3-year-olds and two on the turf for older horses.
State-bred stakes action continues at Parx and Presque Isle Downs throughout the summer, with the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association's signature event, Pennsylvania's Day at the Races, to be held on Monday, Aug. 21 at Parx. Seven $100,000 stakes, including the first legs of the 2-Year-Old PA-Sired PA-Bred Stallion Series – the Whistle Pig and Miss Blue Tye Dye (for fillies) run at 5 1/2 furlongs – are on the card that celebrates state-bred runners.
Next up in the 2-Year-Old PA-Sired PA-Bred Stallion Series are the Prince Lucky and Imply (the latter for fillies), both worth $150,000 and run at a distance of 6 1/2 furlongs. They are among the four state-bred stakes offered on Pennsylvania Derby Day on September 23 at Parx.
Presque Isle Downs will host five $100,000 Pennsylvania-bred stakes starting in July, two for juveniles on back-to-back days in October. The $200,000 Shamrock Rose Stakes for juvenile fillies will once again be run on Thanksgiving eve at Penn National in November, followed by the $200,000 Pennsylvania Nursery at Parx six days later.
Over a five-week span at the end of the year, $800,000 in purses for juveniles is up for grabs as the 2-Year-Old PA-Sired PA-Bred Stallion Series concludes on Dec. 27. New for 2023 are the $200,000 Wait For It Stakes and $200,000 Miss Behaviour Stakes (for fillies) to be contested at 1 mile and 70 yards.
In addition, a purse bonus of 25 percent for all PA-Sired PA-Breds in any non-PA-Sired stakes remains in effect this year.
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