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Sam Houston Boosts Purses For Second Time, Gets Additional Racing Day

Sam Houston Race Park announced that overnight purses at the Houston, Texas, track will be increased for the second time this season. The adjustment will be implemented on Wednesday, March 17, and will continue through the conclusion of the 2021 Thoroughbred Horse meet racing season on April 3.

All main track overnight purses will be increased by $6,000 and turf purses will be boosted by $1,000. The first purse increase was made on February 17 due to an extremely successful beginning of the meet. Sam Houston Race Park noted a handle increase of 40% in the five weeks of the season, bolstered by a record-setting handle of $5.3 million on its Houston Racing Festival card, which took place on January 31. Over the last four weeks, horseplayers have supported the four-day live racing schedule and continue to laud the racetrack's industry-low takeout of 12% on multi-race wagers.

One additional race day has been added to the 2021 Thoroughbred season. The Texas Racing Commission approved Sam Houston Race Park's request to add Wednesday, March 31 to the schedule. The meet. which began on January 8, will conclude on April 3 with live racing each Wednesday and Thursday at 4:00 pm (CT) and Friday and Saturday night card beginning at 6:45 pm.

“We are pleased to offer an additional day of racing and a second purse increase this meet,” said Frank Hopf, Sam Houston Race Park's senior director of racing operations. “After we announced our first increase, we cancelled four days of racing due to the winter storm in February that deeply affected Texas. Since then, we have been supported very well by our horsemen and horseplayers who continue to respond to our racing product.”

Texas Champions Day, which will take place on March 20, is the next premier racing night of the season. Each of the purses for the seven stakes saluting Texas-breds have been increased from $75,000 to $100,000.

Sam Houston Race Park is Houston's premier racing and entertainment facility, located just 15 miles from downtown Houston. The Park offers a variety of attractions including a Suite Level featuring luxurious suites overlooking the racetrack, The Pavilion Centre, and award-winning dining options at the Winner's Circle Restaurant and the Jockey Club.

For more information on upcoming live racing, shows, events and tickets, please visit www.shrp.com.

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Oaklawn Raises Purses 15%, Top Allowances Now Worth $110K

Over the final eight weeks of its 2021 season, Oaklawn will boost purses by 15%, a total of $2.5 million, into overnight races, including increasing top allowance races to $110,000. The across the board increase also takes maiden special weights to $93,000 and raises the bottom purse to $27,000, and represents the largest in-season purse hike in the track's history.

“It's been an interesting year to say the least, but it is very gratifying to announce this purse increase nearly a year after shutting the race meet and casino down to fans because of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Oaklawn President Louis Cella said. “I wasn't sure we'd get here a couple weeks ago with all the bad winter weather, but our horsemen and fans are resilient. February ended with a tremendous weekend of racing and it was exciting to see fans back in the infield last week. I have no doubt the final eight weeks of racing are going to be exciting, especially with some of our marquee races still to come.”

Saturday's 12-race card at the Hot Springs oval will be highlighted by the $1-million GII Rebel S. 3-year-olds as the $500,000 Essex H., $350,000 GII Azeri S., $200,000 Hot Springs S., and $150,000 Temperence Hill S. First post is 12 noon.

“Rebel Stakes weekend has grown to be almost as big as Arkansas Derby Day and we're excited to be able to welcome more fans back just in time for the richest racing in our history,” General Manager Wayne Smith said. “Weather permitting, the infield will be open every Saturday throughout the end of the meet. The infield is truly a rite of spring and it was certainly missed last year.”

Oaklawn's 2021 live meet continues through Saturday, May 1.

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Fair Grounds To Increase Purses 10 Percent Across The Board

For the third time in the 2020-21 meet, Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots has announced a 10 percent purse increase across the board. Much like the first two, the boost was inspired by strong simulcast handle. The purse increase, which includes both open races and Louisiana-bred races, goes into effect for the final 13 days of the meet, beginning with the Thursday, March 11 card. The draw for that card is Thursday, March 4.

“Our handle has continued to be strong, and we are pleased to be able to raise purses for the third time this meet,” Fair Grounds' racing secretary Scott Jones said. “We'd once again like to thank the owners, trainers and fans who have been supporting our day-to-day racing product. $60,000 for a maiden special weight pot is a very competitive number to get to.”

To make up for the weather-related Feb. 11 cancellation, Fair Grounds has also added Wednesday, March 24, to the live racing calendar. In addition, in order to accommodate the NBC broadcast, post time for the 149^th Louisiana Derby Day card on Saturday, March 20 has been pushed back to 11:20 a.m. CT.

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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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