Purses up when Rosecroft reopens March 9

Live racing will return Saturday (March 9) to Rosecroft Raceway with several significant changes, most impressive of which is an average daily purse schedule that will be $50,000 per card, an increase of 33 percent from the last race meet which ended Dec. 22, 2012.

"The infusion of funds from gaming throughout the state is the largest reason for the change, along with a managed approach to increasing purses to allow local horsemen to compete and continue to upgrade their racing stock going forward,” said Rosecroft Racing secretary Mike Wandishin.

The condition sheet for the March 9 and 12 race dates is now available at http://www.rosecroft.com/and features several changes including:

• Any race with a minimum of sevenseparate Maryland preferred (defined as a Maryland owned, sired, trained or foaled horse) betting interests will be closed to those Maryland preferred horses
• Any closed Maryland preferred race with eightor more separate betting interests will compete for a 10 percent premium to the advertised purse
• Any non-Maryland preferred horses that did not start at Rosecroft in their last start may not be eligible to enter a race lower than the non-winners of $3,000 in last three starts condition
• The lowest money conditioned event (non-winners of $750 in last three starts) requires a horse to have finished at least fifth in one of its last five pari-mutuel starts. This condition will carry the lowest purse on the condition sheet at $3,000
• A winners over $4,000 in the last three starts event will be carded for both Maryland preferred horses (with a $7,000 purse) and for open participants (with a $6,000 purse.) A separate winners over event will be written for male and female pacers as well as trotters.

As was the practice last meet, entry preferences in all races will be granted to any horse that is Maryland owned, sired, trained or foaled.

Horsemen are advised to download and submit to the racing office the 2013 Rosecroft racing applications as soon as possible. The applications can be found in the Horsemen's section of the track's website.

"The updates to our condition sheet provide several additional opportunities to showcase Maryland horses and horsemen,” said Wandishin. "The new condition sheet should be much cleaner and easier for all horsemen to follow and provide ample opportunities for a competitive racing program.”

Rosecroft will conduct qualifiers on Saturday (Feb. 23) and Friday (March 1) at 12 noon. Entries for qualifiers will close at 3 p.m. the day prior. Any horse that raced at Rosecroft in December2012 and was not placed on the Judges list will not have to qualify for their first start in 2013 at Rosecroft. All other horses are subject to the30 day rule. (Rosecroft)

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