The North American International Cataloguing Standards Committee voted May 21 to lower the minimum purse requirement for existing non-listed black-type races by 20% for the remainder of 2020.
Because of the impact of COVID-19 on live race meets and casino operations that support purse funds, the NAICSC lowered the minimum purse for non-listed black-type races that ran prior to 2019 from $50,000 to $40,000 for the remainder of 2020, and the minimum purse value for non-listed black-type races that ran for the first time in 2019 will be reduced from $75,000 to $60,000 for their second running in 2020.
Requests to receive black type for any new races will continue to be reviewed by a subcommittee of NAICSC and require a minimum purse of $75,000. These changes provide racetracks with some flexibility in continuing to offer their black-type stakes without either putting a race's black-type status at risk or forcing them to not offer a race at all.
This change follows a May 13 decision by the American Graded Stakes Committee to lower the minimum purses required for grade 1 and grade 2 stakes for the remainder of 2020.
The minimum purse for grade 1 stakes was lowered to $250,000 from $300,000, and the minimum for grade 2 stakes is now $150,000, down from $200,000. The minimum purse for grade 3s remains at $100,000, and the minimum purse for listed stakes and grade-eligible stakes remains at $75,000.
