Sam Houston raises purses for second time this meet

Sam Houston Race Park will increase its overnight purses for the second time this season. The adjustment will be implemented on Wednesday, March 17, and will continue through the conclusion of the 2021 Thoroughbred meet on April 3.

All main track overnight purses will be increased by $6,000 and turf purses will be boosted by $1,000. The first purse increase was made on Feb. 17 after a very successful beginning of the meet. Sam Houston noted a handle increase of 40 percent in the five weeks of the season, bolstered by a record-setting handle of $5.3 million on its Jan. 31 Houston Racing Festival card. In the last four weeks, horseplayers have supported the four-day live racing schedule with an industry-low takeout of 12 percent on multi-race wagers.

One additional race day has been added to the 2021 Thoroughbred season. The Texas Racing Commission approved Sam Houston Race Park’s request to add Wednesday, March 31, to the schedule. The meet, which began on Jan. 8, will conclude on April 3 with live racing each Wednesday and Thursday at 5:00 p.m. EDT and Friday and Saturday night card beginning at 7:45 p.m. EDT.

“We are pleased to offer an additional day of racing and a second purse increase this meet,” said Frank Hopf, Sam Houston Race Park’s senior director of racing operations. “After we announced our first increase, we cancelled four days of racing due to the winter storm in February that deeply affected Texas. Since then, we have been supported very well by our horsemen and horseplayers who continue to respond to our racing product.”

Texas Champions Day, which will take place on March 20, is the next premier racing night of the season. Each of the purses for the seven stakes that salute Texas-breds have been increased from $75,000 to $100,000.