A lucrative participation bonus program for owners and trainers was introduced by the New York Racing Association during the four-day 2024 Belmont Stakes racing festival held at Saratoga on June 6–9.
The four-day Belmont Stakes racing festival will include 24 stakes races with prizes totalling $10.25 million, which is the highest purse level and a number of stakes presented since the multi-day festival's start in 2014.
For horses placing fourth through last at the festival, owners will now be eligible for a starter incentive. Stakes starters will receive $1,500, while owners of overnight race starts will receive $1,000.
A $750 incentive will be given to trainers whose horses place first in stakes races during the festival. Trainers of horses that place first in any overnight race will also get a $500 bonus.
According to Andrew Offerman, executive vice president of racing and operations at the NYRA, "Participation in what is sure to be a unique and special edition of the festival should be encouraged by the bonus program along with a lucrative purse schedule."
The horses that meet the eligibility requirements must be officially proclaimed starters and cannot be added to the veterinarian or poor performance lists. All NYRA and governing race and safety regulations must be followed by trainers. The NYRA retains the discretion to decide which starts are eligible. Participants in Steeplechase are not qualified.
In addition to an expanded purse schedule for the Belmont Stakes racing festival, which will feature open maiden special weights for a purse of $100,000 and New York-bred maiden special weights competing for a purse of $85,000, there is also an owner-trainer incentive program.
Furthermore, the reward for open non-winners of two categories has been enhanced to $115,000, non-winners of one category have been boosted to $110,000, and non-winners of one category bred in New York have been pushed to $90,000 for the festival.