Golden Gate Fields' closing may have been postponed until June 30, 2024, but the purse structure at the upcoming 2023-2024 Winter/Spring meet will look significantly different than previous renditions. According to the Daily Racing Form, overnight purses have been decreased by 25 percent, and only two stakes remain on the schedule (there were 16 at the same meet in 2022-2023).
Maiden special weight races will drop from $30,000 at the most recent meet to $22,500, while first-condition allowances have been cut from $31,000 to $23,500.
The two stakes remaining on the schedule are the $100,000 El Camino Real Derby for 3-year-olds on Feb. 10, and the Grade 3 San Francisco Mile, a $175,000 turf race on April 27.
DRF reports that the purse decline is caused by a purse overpayment of approximately $3 million.
While track owner The Stronach Group originally planned to shutter Golden Gate Fields at the end of the 2023 meet, industry negotiations and pending legislation prompted TSG to delay until late-June 2024. The California Horse Racing Board recently awarded the track dates for its upcoming meet, and the first condition book was released Tuesday.
The 2023-2024 Winter/Spring meet begins Tuesday, Dec. 26, and runs through mid-June on a Friday through Sunday basis.
Read more at the Daily Racing Form.
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