Fort Erie Race Track has announced that effective immediately, there will be a five percent increase in purse scale for the remainder of the 2019 racing season. After consultation with the HBPA, the Board of Directors of the Fort Erie Live Racing Consortium (FELRC) approved the increase at the annual general meeting on July 9th.
The FELRC Board of Directors also approved a 20 percent increase to all races on the Prince of Wales card, excluding the $400,000 Prince of Wales Stakes.
“We have not filled as many races as we hoped for this season, which means we are not spending the purse funds that we had anticipated,” said Tom Valiquette, chief operating and financial officer of the FELRC. “We hope that the increased purse scale will attract more horses and increase our field sizes, in particular for our signature race day.”