Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races received approval Oct. 22 to cut three live racing programs from its November schedule because of field size and purse concerns.
Erich Zimny, director of racing operations at Charles Town, said he met with representatives of the Charles Town Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association who agreed with the trimming of dates. The West Virginia Racing Commission unanimously approved the request.
The first three Tuesday night programs in November will be dropped.
"It was a joint decision for the purposes of conserving purse money and a shortage of horses," Zimny told the WVRC.
Charles Town will now race four nights a week (Wednesday through Saturday) the first three weeks in November. It will race four nights the final week (Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday).
The track was awarded 235 live racing dates for 2013. Through 186 programs, field size has averaged 8.04 horses per race, down from 8.30 for the same period in 2012, according to The Jockey Club Information Systems. Purses paid so far this year totaled $32.78 million, about the same as last year for a similar period.
