New York-breds by New York-based stallions will receive $7,000 bonuses (37%) for maiden special weight wins at Finger Lakes in 2017. The New York Thoroughbred Breeding and Development Fund (the Fund) approved the initiative at its Mar. 28 board meeting.
“Our hope is that the seven-grand boost in first-place money will help more of our breeders look to our registered New York stallions first when making breeding plans,” said Fund Executive Director Tracy Egan. The purse bonuses come in conjunction with the Board's approval to provide approximately $1.5 million in purse enrichment to Finger Lakes this year to counteract expected gaming revenue declines and therefore funds available for purses due to new competition in the area at Del Lago Resort and Casino (for more, read Agreement Reached at Finger Lakes for 2017 racing Season).
“We are proud to provide necessary support to help Finger Lakes Racetrack thrive as part of Governor Cuomo's comprehensive plan to preserve racing.” offered Fund Chairman John Poklemba. “This action, along with the other components forged by the Governor's office, ensures the track and horsemen maintain operations without spending a single taxpayer dollar.”
Jeffrey Cannizzo, Executive Director of the New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc. and ex officio member of the Fund Board, added, “After a long period of uncertainty, we are stabilizing Finger Lakes for the short-term, and at the same time using the opportunity to make New York-sired New York-breds an even more valuable investment than they already are by placing the money in the condition that matters most… The New York breeding and racing programs absolutely depend on a healthy Finger Lakes. In 2016, New York-breds accounted for 73% of all Finger Lakes starts (6428 of the 8863) and earned 76% of all the purse money–about $13.4 million. The more that New York sired horses are involved in this, the more the whole program and its participants benefit.”
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
