Western Fair Raceway announced Friday it will offer an eight per cent increase to total purses paid

, effective immediately.

The increase comes as a result of the new Ontario Racing Program and Western Fair’s reduction of nine race dates in 2011. The additional purse money from those nine days is what is funding the increase.

“The purse increases at Flamboro and Windsor have drastically reduced the traditional oversupply of horses in the London region,” said Western Fair’s Racing and Gaming Manager, Ian Fleming. “This has given local horses more racing opportunities and this recent purse increase is an added bonus.”

(Western Fair Raceway)