Beginning February 1, Turfway Park in Florence will offer a $200 bonus to each owner or partnership represented in an overnight race if the field offers 10 or more wagering interests when the gates open.
“We’re calling the program the TENacious Turfway Park Starter Bonus,” said General Manager Daniel ‘Chip’ Bach. “The name refers to the tenacity of horsemen who tough out winter racing, and we want to reward that. At the same time, bettors want races that offer more combinations, and we see handle increase significantly when we hit ten betting interests.”
Last winter, 54 percent of Turfway starters were ship-ins, and that’s typical. For those horsemen, the bonus will help defray the cost of shipping.
“To the extent we can reward horsemen and enhance field size, we want to do that,” Bach said. “As we head into the last two months of our racing season and other tracks begin to open, we want to give owners and trainers an extra incentive to race with us.”
Turfway Park’s racing season is comprised of two meets: the holiday meet that begins late November or early December and ends Dec. 31 and the winter/spring meet that begins Jan. 1 and runs through the end of March or early April.
Turfway Park
