Grade 3 among canceled Golden Gate stakes

Grade 3 among canceled Golden Gate stakes

Golden Gate Fields announced Friday that it is reducing purses by an average

of 7.5 percent, canceling three stakes and reducing the purses of two other

stakes. The reductions, prompted by a significant reduction in betting handle at

the current meeting, begin with the February 18 racing program.

"In an effort to help the small stables in these tough economic times we've

managed to keep the purses for the bottom level races the same," said racing

secretary Sean Greely, noting that the purse for $8,000 maiden claiming races

will remain unchanged. "If revenues increase, we'll raise purses back to the

previous level."

The following stakes have been canceled: the $50,000 Soviet Problem, a

five-furlong turf race for fillies and mares that was scheduled to be run May

22; the $100,000 Golden Gate Fields Turf (G3), an 11-furlong event for

four-year-olds and up that was slated for May 29; and the $50,000 Oriental

Magic, a five-furlong turf dash for four-year-olds and up that was scheduled for

June 5.

The purses for both the Golden Poppy, a 1 1/16-miles turf race for

three-year-old fillies that will be run April 17, and the Alcatraz, a 1

1/16-miles turf race for three-year-olds that will be contested May 15, have

been reduced from $75,000 to $60,000.