Oaklawn Park officials announced an across-the-board purse increase, which began
Thursday. The increase will add $1,000 per race for allowance, optional claiming
and maiden special weights races, as well at $500 per race for all claiming and
starter allowance events.
“The horsemen are very much our partners in putting on the races,” Oaklawn
Racing Secretary Pat Pope said. “And I’m hopeful that we’re positioned to be
very strong now through the end of the meet. This will add approximately
$250,000 to our purses for the next six weeks and that will be significant.”
The increase was largely attributed to the continued increase in Instant
Racing/Gaming revenue and wagering during the first half of the meet, both on track and
across the country.
“The opportunity to make purse increases for horsemen is what every racetrack
works to accomplish,” Pope added. “We appreciate the horsemen who commit to
making this a high quality meet and are happy to share in the fruits of what
has, up to now, been a very successful season. With only six weeks to go it is
important to finish strong and we have a good chance to do that, given the
momentum that we’ve been able to build through the first half of the meet. The
horsemen have brought in some of the finest horses in our history and been
willing participants at the entry box this year. We’re very thankful for their
efforts.”