 Prior to the 1970s, only the owners of the first four finishers in a thoroughbred horse race in the United States typically received any money at all ; most commonly, 65\% of the race's purse was awarded to the winner, with the second, third and fourth horses earning 20\%, 10\% and 5\% respectively. This procedure had some drawbacks, especially in the event of inclement weather — owners would often seek to "scratch," or withdraw their horses from a race, if the track was wet, and even more so if rain forced a scheduled turf, or grass race, to be moved to the main, or dirt, track. It was largely in an effort to encourage larger fields in these circumstances that many American state racing associations began changing their purse-distribution formats during the last three decades of the 20th Century. Some tracks have taken to awarding less than 1\% to each unplaced finisher, especially those tracks at which the purses have been greatly enhanced due to revenue from affiliated casinos, which may or may not be on the premises of the track itself — since in that case the smaller percentage is adequate to cover the fee to which the jockey is entitled, which can be up to $100. The popularity of Florida's new format among horse owners led to calls for it or something similar to be adopted in other states as well, and as the 20th Century neared its end many states had indeed followed Florida's example, although the specific percentages varied somewhat from one state to the next. New York State long resisted this trend, although in 1971 that state had reduced the winner's share from 65\% to 60\%, awarding 22\% to second, 12\% to third and 6\% to fourth. Finally, in December 1994 the New York Racing Association included horses finishing fifth in its purse awards for the first time (changing to the 60-20-11-6-3 format referred to above) and in December 2003 expanded its purse awards to all finishers, allocating the same 60\% to the winner, but 20\% to second, 10\% to third, 5\% to fourth, 3\% to fifth and the remaining 2\% to be divided equally among the other finishers. These percentages change to 55-20-12-6-4-3 with the opening of the Saratoga meeting on July 20, URL In some racing jurisdictions, a "starter's bonus" is paid to horses not among the top finishers in a race; this bonus is added to the stated value of the purse, and therefore nothing needs to be subtracted from the top shares to provide it. California uses this approach, paying a starter's bonus of $ 400 to each horse placed worse than fifth at its Los Angeles-area tracks and $300 at the tracks located in the northern part of the state. Such bonuses are also the rule in Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Texas.
Background Prior to the 1970s, only the owners of the first four finishers in a horse race in the United States typically received any money at all . In Thoroughbred racing, it was common for 65\% of the race's purse was awarded to the winner, with the second, third and fourth horses earning 20\%, 10\% and 5\% respectively. This procedure had some drawbacks, especially in the event of inclement weather — owners would often seek to "scratch," or withdraw their horses from a race, if the track was wet, and even more so if rain forced a scheduled turf, or grass race, to be moved to the main, or dirt, track. It was largely in an effort to encourage larger fields in these circumstances that many American state racing associations began changing their purse-distribution formats during the last three decades of the 20th Century. Some tracks have taken to awarding less than 1\% to each unplaced finisher, especially those tracks at which the purses have been greatly enhanced due to revenue from affiliated casinos, which may or may not be on the premises of the track itself — since in that case the smaller percentage is adequate to cover the fee to which the jockey is entitled, which can be up to $100. The popularity of Florida's new format among horse owners led to calls for it or something similar to be adopted in other states as well, and as the 20th Century neared its end many states had indeed followed Florida's example, although the specific percentages varied somewhat from one state to the next. New York State long resisted this trend, although in 1971 that state had reduced the winner's share from 65\% to 60\%, awarding 22\% to second, 12\% to third and 6\% to fourth. Finally, in December 1994 the New York Racing Association included horses finishing fifth in its purse awards for the first time (changing to the 60-20-11-6-3 format referred to above) and in December 2003 expanded its purse awards to all finishers, allocating the same 60\% to the winner, but 20\% to second, 10\% to third, 5\% to fourth, 3\% to fifth and the remaining 2\% to be divided equally among the other finishers. These percentages change to 55-20-12-6-4-3 with the opening of the Saratoga meeting on July 20, URL Current practice In some racing jurisdictions, a "starter's bonus" is paid to horses not among the top finishers in a race; this bonus is added to the stated value of the purse, and therefore nothing needs to be subtracted from the top shares to provide it. California uses this approach, paying a starter's bonus of $ 400 to each horse placed worse than fifth at its Los Angeles-area tracks and $300 at the tracks located in the northern part of the state. Such bonuses are also the rule in Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Texas.
A
Background
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thoroughbred
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; most commonly,
. In Thoroughbred racing, it was common for
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$100. The popularity of Florida's new format among horse owners led to calls for it or something similar to be adopted in other states as well, and as the 20th Century neared its end many states had indeed followed Florida's example, although the specific percentages varied somewhat from one state to the next. New York State long resisted this trend, although in 1971 that state had reduced the winner's share from 65\% to 60\%, awarding 22\% to second, 12\% to third and 6\% to fourth. Finally, in December 1994 the New York Racing Association included horses finishing fifth in its purse awards for the first time (changing to the 60-20-11-6-3 format referred to above) and in December 2003 expanded its purse awards to all finishers, allocating the same 60\% to the winner, but 20\% to second, 10\% to third, 5\% to fourth, 3\% to fifth and the remaining 2\% to be divided equally among the other finishers. These percentages change to 55-20-12-6-4-3 with the opening of the Saratoga meeting on July 20, URL In some racing jurisdictions, a "starter's bonus" is paid to horses not among the top finishers in a race; this bonus is added to the stated value of the purse, and therefore nothing needs to be subtracted from the top shares to provide it. California uses this approach, paying a starter's bonus of $
$100. The popularity of Florida's new format among horse owners led to calls for it or something similar to be adopted in other states as well, and as the 20th Century neared its end many states had indeed followed Florida's example, although the specific percentages varied somewhat from one state to the next. New York State long resisted this trend, although in 1971 that state had reduced the winner's share from 65\% to 60\%, awarding 22\% to second, 12\% to third and 6\% to fourth. Finally, in December 1994 the New York Racing Association included horses finishing fifth in its purse awards for the first time (changing to the 60-20-11-6-3 format referred to above) and in December 2003 expanded its purse awards to all finishers, allocating the same 60\% to the winner, but 20\% to second, 10\% to third, 5\% to fourth, 3\% to fifth and the remaining 2\% to be divided equally among the other finishers. These percentages change to 55-20-12-6-4-3 with the opening of the Saratoga meeting on July 20, URL Current practice In some racing jurisdictions, a "starter's bonus" is paid to horses not among the top finishers in a race; this bonus is added to the stated value of the purse, and therefore nothing needs to be subtracted from the top shares to provide it. California uses this approach, paying a starter's bonus of $