Monmouth announces $12.1 million in stakes purses

With the $1 million Haskell Invitational (G1) on August 1 leading the way,

Monmouth Park will offer a record $12.1 million in stakes purses for the 2010

racing season, which gets underway May 22. A total of 90 stakes races are on the

calendar, 16 graded and 74 overnight events.

In addition to the record stakes schedule, Monmouth Park will offer record

purses in 2010. In what's being called the "Million Dollar Meet," Monmouth will

race primarily on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Labor Day -- a calendar

that spans 50 live racing days. Overnight purses, when coupled with stakes

events, are expected to be $1 million for those live programs, with stakes races

starting at $100,000. By comparison, stakes at Monmouth Park in 2009 started at

$60,000 with a total of $9,170,000 paid in stakes purses.

"What we're offering this year is a new approach to racing," said Bob Kulina,

vice president and general manager of Monmouth Park. "This stakes schedule,

along with our new race meet, is certainly attracting the interest of new

horsemen from across the country.

"Our goal is to deliver the public what they've asked for -- quality,

competitive racing with big fields. We believe this new schedule should help us

achieve that goal."

Returning for the third time to the stakes calendar is the $250,000 Monmouth

S., which will carry a Grade 3 status for the first time when it's renewed on

June 12. The turf test, which serves as a prep for the $750,000 United Nations

S. (G1) on July 3, was captured by champion Big Brown in it's inaugural running

and last year saw fan favorite Presious Passion (Royal Anthem) go wire-to-wire.

Other notable changes include the addition of races formerly held at the

Meadowlands, which will not conduct a Thoroughbred meet this year. The $200,000

Pegasus S. (G3) for three-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles, will be run six weeks

before the 1 1/8-mile Haskell. Also added to the schedule is the $300,000

Monmouth Cup ([G2] formerly the Meadowlands Cup), to be run on October 9 as a

prep for the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1).

Monmouth Park will race 50 days (Friday-Sunday plus holiday Mondays) from May

22 through Labor Day, September 6. An additional 21 days of racing will be held

on Saturdays and Sundays from September 11 through November 21.