Bonus payments coming to Del Mar horsemen

By: SPORTS NETWORK

Del Mar, CA (Sports Network) - The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club announced Tuesday it will release, retroactively, additional monies from its recently concluded 2010 racing season. The horsemen will soon receive upwards of $900,000 in additional purses.

"Our horsemen were, along with racing fans, the reason for a successful meet this summer," said Del Mar president and general manager Craig Fravel. "Our racing office managed the inventory well and in the end the numbers -- both on the track and at the pari-mutuels -- were better than expected."

The 71st Del Mar meeting closed with a total handle of more $449 million and an average daily handle of better than $12 million. These numbers showed a decline from 2009, however the track ran fewer races compared to last year.

Del Mar equaled its per-race betting with the amount wagered in 2009. The San Diego track had a daily average of $557,000 in purses which is the largest in California.

The additional purse money, approximately 7.5 percent of purses paid in 2010, only covers the track's overnight purses and not any of the major stakes races.

Del Mar expects to send out the checks to its horsemen by early November.