Sam Houston Race Park will begin its 2025 Thoroughbred meet with purse cuts and fewer stay race dates as a result of uncertainty about funds from a state incentive fund created to assist the Texas horse trade.
Texas tracks have had their income streams constricted since February 2023 when the Texas Racing Fee took the place that the federal Horseracing Integrity and Security Authority has no authorized standing to control horse racing within the state. By not recognizing HISA’s authority, racetracks are prohibited from collaborating in interstate simulcasting.
With out simulcasting income, tracks have been extra reliant on assist from a Horse Business Escrow Account created by the state legislature in 2019. The HIEA collects as much as $50 million in the course of the state’s two-year fiscal 12 months price range interval from gross sales taxes on horse-related purchases (feed, tack, and many others.) that’s then paid again to the horse trade via purses and grants for breed incentive applications. As much as 70% of the funding may be allotted to purses for horse racing.
“With the uncertainty of TTA (Texas Thoroughbred Affiliation) receiving HIEA 30% Funding by the Texas Racing Fee and no plans of a January ‘Particular Assembly’ as Chairman (Robert) Pate talked about, we really feel it’s essential to make some reductions/modifications to our upcoming Thoroughbred Meet,” wrote Bryan Pettigrew, Sam Houston’s vice chairman and basic supervisor of racing operations, in a letter to horsemen.
A discount in purses to $33,000 has been applied for the next situations for races scheduled from Jan. 10 via Feb. 16: $40,000 maiden particular weights, $40,000 non-winners allowance races for 2-year-olds, and $40,000 non-winners allowance races for 3-year-olds.Join BloodHorse Day by day
Sam Houston is also chopping one race per race day from Jan. 10-Feb. 16, taking 18 races off its schedule.
Pettigrew mentioned races in the course of the first week of the meet Jan. 3-5 will stay at present promoting situations for in a single day races and stakes races. He wished to inform horsemen of the purse modifications within the in a single day sheets for Dec. 29 to offer them enough time to make any crucial modifications in coaching or delivery.
“As soon as the February TXRC assembly is accomplished, we are able to meet and make additional changes,” Pettigrew wrote.
Coach Karl Broberg shared his response on the social media platform X: “Late Christmas reward courtesy of the superb management now we have seen since Texas Racing Fee went off the rails of their quest to make Texas racing irrelevant #ExcellenceStartsHere.”
