Calif. Crown is introduced; Preakness purse goes to $2 million
The Grade 1 racerebranded as the $1 million California Crown was formally introduced Friday as partof a series linking the 2024 Preakness and the 2025 Pegasus World Cup Invitational(G1) with a $5 million bonus for a horse who wins all three.
A news release from 1/ST,the racing brand of the Stronach Group, also said the purse for the Preaknesswould be boosted from $1.5 million to $2 million starting May 18 with the race’s149th running.
“My team and I continueto believe and invest in the modernization of Thoroughbred horse racing with acommitment to the highest level of international safety standards and horsecare as we continue to elevate our already industry-leading wagering, entertainment andhospitality programs,” 1/ST CEO Belinda Stronach said. “To back this up, 1/STis adding to the legacy of the Preakness by increasing the purse, creating anew marquee race event for the majestic Santa Anita Park, The California Crown,and continuing to build on the phenomenal success of the Pegasus WorldCup.”
Started in 1982 as theGoodwood Handicap at the old Oak Tree meet, the California Crown more recently wasrun as the $300,000 Awesome Again. That name came with its upgrade in 2012 to aGrade 1 race. It still will go 1 1/8 miles for 3-year-olds and up on the main track,and it is expected to remain a win-and-you’re-in qualifier for the Breeders’Cup Classic.
The 1/ST news release saidthe California Crown would be run Sept. 28 as part of “a reimagined opening-dayexperience for the track’s 2024 fall meet.” Since that date is a Saturday, itwould mark the first time since 2015 that the meet did not start on a Friday.
1/ST said the new series willhave as much as $25 million in purses and incentives. The stakes on the three bigrace cards at Pimlico, Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park will carry more than$12.5 million in elevated purses and $7.5 in incentives as well as the newbonus.
The increase in thePreakness purse comes the same year as the other two U.S. classics boostedtheir prize money, too. The Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs went from $3 millionto $5 million and the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga from $1.5 million to $2 million.
A $2.5 million bonus willbe on offer for a horse who sweeps the Dinner Party (G3), the John Henry Turf(G2) and Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1). The purse for the Dinner Party on thePreakness undercard at Pimlico was raised from $200,000 to $500,000.
Two downhill-grass stakeson the inaugural California Crown card, namely the John Henry Turf and theEddie D. Turf Sprint (G2), will have their purses boosted from $200,000 to$750,000 each.
These increases come onthe heels of 1/ST’s across-the-board purse cuts of 5 percent at Santa Anita and25 percent in the final season at Golden Gate Fields, which is scheduled to closeJune 9.
The Pegasus World CupInvitational on Jan. 25 will continue to carry a $3 million purse. A singleowner who wins both that race and the Pegasus World Cup Turf, still worth $1million, will be paid a $7.5 million bonus.
1/ST also said it is puttingup $5 million for a coast-to-coast bet that will reward anyone who picks thefirst four finishers, in order, of the Preakness, California Crown and PegasusWorld Cup. It will be free to enter the challenge via the 1/ST Bet app. If noone gets all 12 horses in the exact order, the entry with the most correctselections will win $100,000.
