The New York Racing Association today announced purse increases for the 2007 Belmont Park Fall Championship meet, which will run from September 7 – October 31. Daily average purses are projected to rise 12 percent or $66,854, from $557,114 during the corresponding meet last year, to $623,968 this year.

Purses rose by a similar percentage during the final three weeks of the Belmont Park Spring/Summer meet and have risen approximately 13.6 percent during the current Saratoga Race Course meet, when compared with 2006 purse levels, for projected average daily purses of $771,535.

For example, the purse for an open allowance race will increase $10,000 from current levels to $56,000, while a similar event for New York-breds will increase $6,000 to $50,000. The purse for an open maiden will climb $9,000 to $52,000, while the same race restricted to New York-breds will rise $5,000 to $46,000.

“We see at Saratoga how purse increases boost both the quality and size of the fields, two key factors in driving increasing handle,” said C. Steven Duncker, Chairman of the New York Racing Association. “All stakeholders benefit, from horseplayers to horsemen, and we’re pleased we can strengthen the Belmont Park Fall Championship meet in this way.”

The projected purse increases for the Belmont Park Fall Championship meet are:

The New York Racing Association Inc. (NYRA) is a private, non-profit racing association established in 1955, which own and operates the three largest racetracks in New York – Aqueduct, Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course. It is a non-profit, non-dividend paying corporation governed by a Board of Trustees, whose members, by law, receive no compensation or dividends. Since its inception, NYRA has contributed more than $3 billion in direct tax revenue to the State of New York.