With the $1 million Haskell Invitational (G1) on August 1 leading the way,
Monmouth Park will offer a record $12.1 million in stakes purses for the 2010
racing season, which gets underway May 22. A total of 90 stakes races are on the
calendar, 16 graded and 74 overnight events.
In addition to the record stakes schedule, Monmouth Park will offer record
purses in 2010. In what’s being called the “Million Dollar Meet,” Monmouth will
race primarily on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Labor Day — a calendar
that spans 50 live racing days. Overnight purses, when coupled with stakes
events, are expected to be $1 million for those live programs, with stakes races
starting at $100,000. By comparison, stakes at Monmouth Park in 2009 started at
$60,000 with a total of $9,170,000 paid in stakes purses.
“What we’re offering this year is a new approach to racing,” said Bob Kulina,
vice president and general manager of Monmouth Park. “This stakes schedule,
along with our new race meet, is certainly attracting the interest of new
horsemen from across the country.
“Our goal is to deliver the public what they’ve asked for — quality,
competitive racing with big fields. We believe this new schedule should help us
achieve that goal.”
Returning for the third time to the stakes calendar is the $250,000 Monmouth
S., which will carry a Grade 3 status for the first time when it’s renewed on
June 12. The turf test, which serves as a prep for the $750,000 United Nations
S. (G1) on July 3, was captured by champion Big Brown in it’s inaugural running
and last year saw fan favorite Presious Passion (Royal Anthem) go wire-to-wire.
Other notable changes include the addition of races formerly held at the
Meadowlands, which will not conduct a Thoroughbred meet this year. The $200,000
Pegasus S. (G3) for three-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles, will be run six weeks
before the 1 1/8-mile Haskell. Also added to the schedule is the $300,000
Monmouth Cup ([G2] formerly the Meadowlands Cup), to be run on October 9 as a
prep for the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1).
Monmouth Park will race 50 days (Friday-Sunday plus holiday Mondays) from May
22 through Labor Day, September 6. An additional 21 days of racing will be held
on Saturdays and Sundays from September 11 through November 21.