The New York Racing Association has announced a $100,000 bonus for any 2-year-old who breaks its maiden at the 2012 Belmont Park spring meet and goes on to win a graded stakes at Saratoga, Belmont, or Aqueduct in 2012.
The bonus, which can only be paid out once for each eligible horse during the course of the year, will be written into the conditions of all NYRA graded juvenile races and will therefore count towards the horse’s official graded earnings.
“The graded stakes bonus that NYRA is offering, along with the enhanced purse structure, underlines that New York is the place for horsemen to run their 2-year-olds,” said Rick Violette, president of the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association. “The fact that the $100,000 bonus is written into the condition of the graded races is a real enticement for horsemen, as those earnings are very important for getting into races like the Kentucky Derby.”
The 56-day Belmont spring meet, which runs from April 27-July 15, will offer open maiden special weight races with purses of $70,000 for sprints and $75,000 for routes. New York-bred maiden special weights will have purses of $55,000 and $60,000 for sprints and routes, respectively.
NYRA’s juvenile graded stakes schedule includes seven races that have already been announced for the 2012 Saratoga meet and can be viewed online at www.nyra.com. Additionally, 10 graded juvenile races will likely be run during the fall 2012 Belmont and Aqueduct meets, with those exact schedules announced later this year.
