Purse levels will be raised by nearly 14 percent blended across all categories during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival and throughout the summer meet at Saratoga Racecourse, it was announced by The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) on Thursday.
Purses for open maiden special weights will increase by 15%, from $100,000 to $115,000. In addition, first-level allowance events will be offered for $120,000 and second-level allowance races will be offered for $125,000.
NYRA will increase purses for the maiden allowance auction category to $90,000, a 12.5% increase.
Initially launched by NYRA in 2019, maiden allowance auction races are restricted to horses that either sold or RNA'd for $65,000 or less at their most recent public auction.
Last summer, Napoleon Solo, a $40,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, graduated in a Spa maiden auction allowance en route to a win in the GI Champagne at Belmont.
Benefitting New York-bred racing, beginning with the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival and continuing through the summer meet, maiden special weights will be run for $100,000, first-level allowance races for $105,000 and second-level allowance races for $110,000. In addition, New York-bred two-year-old maiden special weight races will be run for $115,000.
The 2026 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will be held at Saratoga June 3, through Sunday, June 7. Highlighted by the 158th edition of GI Belmont Stakes June 6, the Festival will offer 25 stakes races worth $11.075 million in purses including 10 Grade I races among 18 graded stakes.
The Saratoga summer meet will open Friday, July 3, and continue through Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7. Highlighted by the GI DraftKings Travers on Aug. 29 and the GI Whitney on Aug. 8, the 46-day summer meet will offer 20 Grade 1 races among 73 stakes worth over $23.575 million in total purses.
The first 2026 Saratoga condition book will be released in June.
For additional information on overnight purse increases, please visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/horsemen/.
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