Eldorado Scioto Downs has increased purses 25 per cent across the board starting with the races on Friday (Aug. 7).

“We are happy to announce this purse increase due to great numbers, both on our export signal and on the gaming floor,” explained Joe Morris, senior vice president of racing for Eldorado Resorts. “Our property has been outperforming projections since reopening on June 19, and with Scioto being the first harness track in the country to host live racing after the shutdown, our 22 $1 million-plus handle nights have added funds to the purse account.”

The purse increase will be noticeable at all racing levels, from the $6,000 claimers increasing from $4,000 to $5,000, all the way up to the Opens going from $18,000 to a range of $20,000-$25,000.

“This increase puts our purses back on par with our purse structure from 2019,” said race secretary Jason Roth. “We are glad to work with our horsemen to bring purse levels back to pre-COVID-19 levels.”

Scioto Downs has used innovative and alternative means to increasing handle — and therefore purses — for 2020, including switching from Tuesday afternoons to Tuesday evenings, taking advantage of some early season Sunday evening race cards, as well as a robust new wagering menu.

Racing at Scioto is held Tuesday through Saturday with a first post time of 6:15 p.m. Closing night is Saturday (Sept. 5), when Scioto will host Ohio Super Night with the $300,000 Ohio Sire Stakes finals for all eight divisions of two- and three-year-olds.

(Eldorado Scioto Downs)