The release from The Meadowlands is as follows:
The Meadowlands is announcing a tiered purse increase ranging from $500 to $2,500 across the board, boosting Big M purses to the highest in the Northeast for virtually all of the money condition classes along with very competitive purses for the claimers. The increases are included in the purses on the upcoming condition sheet for April 2 & 3.
Capitalizing upon the influx of three-year-olds as they prepare for their regional stakes, the purses for the NW X Races types have been bumped to a substantially higher level banking on the idea that those horses will have an increased presence in the entry box over the next six weeks and give our horse playing audience some inviting fresh faces to handicap.
There are several components that have helped to build The Meadowlands brand to the level at which it currently stands. The sport's best colony of drivers hang their tack at The Meadowlands where the finest track surface on the continent, meticulously groomed to ensure that racing will go on safely even under adverse conditions, and the constant vigil to exclude cheating trainers and provide a level playing field have provided our customers the best product possible upon which to wager.
The resulting robust handle on the product thus far this season, along with over $1 million in purse revenue from sports betting added by Jeff Gural, the generosity of our many sponsors whose contributions help to defray the considerable cost of the stakes program and the grant of $4.5 million directed to overnight racing from the state of New Jersey have combined to fuel this purse increase.
It is our hope that despite increased competition from the reopening of other tracks in the region, the purse increase will aid in attracting enough horses to allow The Meadowlands to continue to offer the same number of races with large fields that have resulted in the increased handle.
The new condition sheet reflecting the purse bump is available on The Meadowlands website.
(Meadowlands)