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Major Purse Increases for Del Mar’s Summer Meet

With purses to exceed $700,000 per day and “Ship and Win” incentives to double, the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club is substantially increasing all overnight purses and offering record incentives for its upcoming Summer Meet, which opens Saturday, July 17, and runs through Labor Day, Sept. 6. Among the increases for overnights from last year, maiden special weight races will jump from $55,000 to $70,000, with a number of maiden claiming and open claiming purses also increasing. In addition, purse levels will be raised for several summer stakes races with the stakes schedule to be released in the coming weeks.

Average daily overnight purses for the 2021 season will be increased by over 30% as compared to 2019 levels. Del Mar's total handle for 2020 was above initial projections–despite a unique year due to the COVID-19 pandemic that allowed no spectators on site–which added funding to the purse increases for 2021.

Owners and trainers that ship out-of-state horses to race at Del Mar through the “Ship and Win” program will see significant boosts as well, with the participation fee for owners doubling from $2,000 to $4,000 and a purse bonus from 20% to 40% for all eligible races. The purse bonus will be upped to 50% for dirt races in the “Ship and Win” program. For example, a maiden special weight race on the main track this summer will carry a purse of $105,000 ($70,000 with a 50% bonus), plus a $4,000 starter bonus for out-of-state horses that qualify.

“We've got some real momentum in California as we prepare for the 2021 season and, based on the inquiries we're receiving, owners and trainers are taking notice,” said Del Mar's executive vice president for racing, Tom Robbins. “Our partnership with the Thoroughbred Owners of California [TOC], TVG, and The Stronach Group [TSG] has us on track for one of the most lucrative seasons in Del Mar history, which will be a boost for California racing and help set the stage for us to host the Breeders' Cup here again in November.”

The 2021 purse enhancements are partly due to a partnership with TOC, FanDuel Group's TVG, and TSG's 1/ST Racing. The agreement is expected to inject up to $15 million into California Thoroughbred purses and programs over the next two years.

Del Mar will offer a 31-day summer racing season this year. It will open with Saturday and Sunday cards (July 17-18), then switch to a Thursday through Sunday schedule. Keeping with tradition, the 2021 summer season will close on Labor Day.

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Major Boost Puts Del Mar Summer Purses Over $700,000 Daily; Ship And Win Bonuses Doubled

The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif., will implement a major purse increase for its upcoming summer race meeting opening on Saturday, July 17, including substantial increases in all overnight purses and record incentives for owners and trainers that ship out-of-state horses to race at Del Mar through its popular “Ship and Win” program, track officials have announced.

Average daily overnight purses for the 2021 season will be increased by over 30% as compared to 2019 levels during which the track operated an uninterrupted racing schedule. With the increases announced today, Del Mar expects to average more than $700,000 a day in purses this summer.

The “Ship and Win” program for horses entering from outside California is doubling both its participation fee for owners (from $2,000 to $4,000) and its purse bonus from 20% to 40% for all eligible races. The purse bonus will be upped to 50% for dirt races in the “Ship and Win” program.

“We've got some real momentum in California as we prepare for the 2021 season and, based on the inquiries we're receiving, owners and trainers are taking notice,” said Del Mar's executive vice president for racing, Tom Robbins. “Our partnership with the Thoroughbred Owners of California, TVG and The Stronach Group has us on track for one of the most lucrative seasons in Del Mar history, which will be a boost for California racing and help set the stage for us to host the Breeders' Cup here again in November.”

The 2021 purse enhancements are due in part to a partnership with the Thoroughbred Owners of California, FanDuel Group's TVG horse racing television network and advance-deposit wagering platform and The Stronach Group's 1/ST Racing. The multi-party agreement, announced earlier this year, is expected to inject up to $15 million into California Thoroughbred purses and programs over the next two years.

In addition, Del Mar's total handle for its 2020 racing seasons was well above initial projections – despite fans not being allowed onsite – adding funding to the purse increases for the upcoming live racing season.

Among the increases for overnights, maiden special weight races will jump from $55,000 during the 2020 summer meet to $70,000 this summer, maiden-claiming $20,000 races rise from $19,000 last year to $25,000 and open $40,000 claiming races purses will increase from $37,000 to $47,000.

As an example of how these increases affect the “Ship and Win” program, a maiden special weight race on the main track this summer will carry a purse of $105,000 ($70,000 plus a 50% bonus) plus a $4,000 starter bonus for out of state horses that qualify for the program.

“Anticipation for Del Mar's race meetings is always high among horsemen but it will be even more so this year with the increased purse structure announced today,” said Gary Fenton, chairman of the TOC. “We look forward to continuing our work with the state's key racing stakeholders to further strengthen California's year-round racing program.”

Track officials also noted that Del Mar's 2021 stakes schedule will be released in the coming weeks and that purse levels will be raised for several of its summer stakes races.

Del Mar will offer a 31-day summer racing season this year after racing 27 days in 2020. It will open with Saturday and Sunday cards (July 17-18), then switch to a Thursday through Sunday schedule for the balance of the meet. The summer season will close, as usual, on Labor Day, Monday, September 6.

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$1 Million ‘Wild West Bonus’ Created For Winner Of Big ‘Cap, Gold Cup, Pacific Classic

Santa Anita Park and the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club have announced they have joined forces to create the $1 Million Wild West Bonus. This will provide $1 million in additional money to the winning connections of any horse that manages to sweep three of Southern California's most prestigious Grade 1 races; the $400,000 Santa Anita Handicap on March 6, the $300,000 Hollywood Gold Cup (at Santa Anita) on May 31 and the $750,000 TVG Pacific Classic at Del Mar on Aug. 21.

Including the $1 million bonus, any horse sweeping these three races would bank a total of $1,870,000.

All three races are run at the North American classic distance of a mile and one quarter. The Santa Anita Handicap, which will be run for the 84th time, is for horses aged four and up, while the Hollywood Gold Cup and TVG Pacific Classic are open to horses three and up.

Santa Anita has also announced that it will boost the $75,000 China Doll Stakes, to be run on Big 'Cap Day, March 6, by $25,000, from $75,000 to $100,000. The China Doll, for 3-year-old fillies at one mile on turf, is one of five stakes, four of them graded.

Additionally, Santa Anita will raise purses on all overnight races to be run on Big 'Cap Day by $15,000 per race in an effort to ensure big fields and to reward those owners and trainers that continue to support Santa Anita on its biggest days.

For additional information on the $1 Million Wild West Bonus, please contact the Racing Office at Santa Anita by calling (626) 574-6352.

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Del Mar Stewards: Baffert Fined $2,500, Brinkerhoff Handed 45-Day Suspension

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert has been fined $2,500 by the Del Mar stewards, reports the Daily Racing Form, over Merneith's positive for Dextromethorphan in her second-place finish in the fourth race on July 25.

“A number of my staff were sick with COVID this summer, including Merneith's groom,” Baffert told the Paulick Report after the positive result was made public. “I learned he had been taking over-the-counter cough syrups that contained Dextrorphan. This has been an issue in other states where contamination has lead to positive tests. That's what happened here. This is clearly another case of contamination. Ultimately, this is my responsibility. It's really embarrassing for the barn, but that's what happened. #2020 sucks.”

Del Mar stewards also took action against veteran trainer Val Brinkerhoff, suspending him for 45 days and issuing a $3,000 fine over Girl Can Partie returning a positive for Metaproterenol after winning the seventh race on Aug. 1, 2019. Sunday's ruling stated that the penalty was inclusive of a syringe found in Brinkerhoff's truck, which the trainer told DRF was a precaution for colic while shipping a horse to Emerald Downs, also in August of 2019.