This year’s West Virginia Breeders Classics program at Charles Town Races & Slots will be worth a record $2 million, organizers said.
Breeders Classics founder and chief executive officer Sam Huff and co-founder and president Carol Holden said in a July 25 release they received approval from the West Virginia Racing Commission to increase total purses from $1.875 million last year, when nine stakes were held on the program.
This year’s Classics night is set for Oct. 17, again with nine stakes for West Virginia-bred or –sired horses. The co-features, each worth $500,000, are the West Virginia Breeders Classic for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles, and the Cavada Breeders Classic for fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up, at seven furlongs.
The other seven stakes will be worth a total of $1 million.
Organizers said the 2009 West Virginia Breeders Classics XXIII will be featured on FOX Sports Net and will have full-card coverage on HRTV, which recently extended its agreement to broadcast racing live from Charles Town.
The Breeders Classics program is the richest night of racing in West Virginia. The richest program of open stakes in the state is the Aug. 1 West Virginia Derby (gr. II) card at Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort. Purses for the all-stakes card total about $1.5 million.
West Virginia racetracks derive purse revenue from video lottery terminals.
