Santa Anita Cuts Stakes Purses for Upcoming Meet

[Al Gobbi]

Although the application for Santa Anita Park's upcoming meet that begins Dec. 26 has yet to be approved by the California Horse Racing Board, executives from The Stronach Group said Dec. 14 that stakes purses for the Arcadia, Calif., track will decrease $600,000 for the meeting that runs through early July.

Tim Ritvo, chief operating officer of The Stronach Group, said the purse cuts were made to stakes to ensure purses for other levels of racing remained steady.

The most glaring reduction on the calendar is the Santa Anita Handicap (G1), which will drop to $600,000 from $750,000 in 2017 and $1 million in 2016. It will be the lowest purse for the Big 'Cap since 1985, when it was $450,000.

https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-rac...-upcoming-meet

[cj]

They need to raise the takeout some more. That will drive purses up.

[JustRalph]

Raise the admission !

[BrentT]

Actually nothing wrong with this. As long as the money is distributed thru all the other maiden, claiming and allowance races it helps all involved at the track. The G1s, 2s, 3s are mainly won by the big barns anyhow they make plenty, in order to keep the whole train running you got to feed the smaller outfits as well.....

Look no further than delta downs right now at this meet, they cut out all the big stakes purses for them Derby points events etc, and everyone there is reaping the benefits. The purses are almost on par with FG a few hours down the road, and much easier competition.

[cj]

Originally Posted by BrentT

Actually nothing wrong with this. As long as the money is distributed thru all the other maiden, claiming and allowance races it helps all involved at the track. The G1s, 2s, 3s are mainly won by the big barns anyhow they make plenty, in order to keep the whole train running you got to feed the smaller outfits as well.....

Look no further than delta downs right now at this meet, they cut out all the big stakes purses for them Derby points events etc, and everyone there is reaping the benefits. The purses are almost on par with FG a few hours down the road, and much easier competition.

It is the fair thing to do, but my point was they put themselves in this bind by raising takeout...you know the takeout raise that was going to raise purses and be GREAT for owners.

[zico20]

To play devils advocate, if tracks keep dropping purses for big races there will be less incentive to continue racing the top horses and instead retire them earlier than they should. Not that they aren't doing it already. The less stars in racing the less interest and the inevitable drop in handle. Just saying.

[dilanesp]

The Santa Anita Handicap is our version of the Jockey Club Gold Cup. Once one of the most important races in America, now destroyed by a far more lucrative competitor (Dubai in our case, the BC Classic in NYRA's case).

[airford1]

Pretty soon 5K claimers running on the turf. Visions of Caliente

[Jeff P]

Me: stepping up onto soapbox now...

I know that industry decision makers in California (owners, trainers, track management, CHRB Commissioners, etc.) don't want to hear it.

BUT --

There's no such thing as a purse fairy. (Not my phrase. But it fits here so I'll use it.)

It ought to be obvious to everybody by now that SB 1072 has been a complete disaster - and that a change in direction is needed.

In my opinion, the ONLY way thoroughbred racing in California is going to generate increases in purse money is to generate increases in money BET by horseplayers on the product.

The question isn't whether or not horseplayers were right about SB 1072 being the wrong thing to do.

The question at this point should be:

What should we be doing next?

Me: stepping down off of soapbox.


-jp

.

[GMB@BP]

Originally Posted by Jeff P

Me: stepping up onto soapbox now...

I know that industry decision makers in California (owners, trainers, track management, CHRB Commissioners, etc.) don't want to hear it.

BUT --

There's no such thing as a purse fairy. (Not my phrase. But it fits here so I'll use it.)

It ought to be obvious to everybody by now that SB 1072 has been a complete disaster - and that a change in direction is needed.

In my opinion, the ONLY way thoroughbred racing in California is going to generate increases in purse money is to generate increases in money BET by horseplayers on the product.

The question isn't whether or not horseplayers were right about SB 1072 being the wrong thing to do.

The question at this point should be:

What should we be doing next?

Me: stepping down off of soapbox.


-jp

.

californians lowering taxes to spur business..i heard it all now

[airford1]

I don't think there is any way to save Horse Racing in California. The racing will crumble to what is run at Los Al at night with 2500 dollar races. I can't see anything in the future like what we had up to 2010.

[Prioress Ply]

Agree--it's dead. But it was going downhill in the early 90s, right after they started increasing the wagering menu and taking simulcast races.

It was already dead by 2005 or so you just couldn't see it. When Hubbard sold HP you knew the writing was the on the wall.

[Augenj]

Originally Posted by cj

They need to raise the takeout some more. That will drive purses up.

[Afleet]

where is that blowhard askinhaskin selling the virtues of increased take? I want to hear him explain what happened

[Afleet]

need to relocate Santa Anita to Tijuana to get away from all those CA regulations that are so good for business