Deciphering Fees for Stakes Races
Reprinted with the permission of the Thoroughbred Owners of
California
Nomination Fees
A typical stakes race will usually have one closing date for
nominations, which usually falls between ten to fourteen days before
the running of the race. Also, some races have a supplementary
nomination fee that is normally paid at the time of entry. The
supplementary nomination fee allows horses that missed the original
closing date to nominate, and is usually substantially higher than
the regular nomination fee.
Some stakes use a different type of closing system. Many
two-year-old stakes have a regular closing date for nominations and
a second sustaining payment. Many three-year-old stakes have an
early closing, sometimes when the horse is still two-years-old, and
then a late nomination deadline closer to the race for horses not
previously nominated. The late nomination fee is higher than the
early closing because it is closer to the running of the race. The
different methods are used to accommodate late developing horses and
sometimes to generate larger purses.
Entry Fees
The entry fee can be found in the conditions of most stakes races.
As it's name implies, it is to be paid when the horse is entered in
the stakes race, which is typically two to three days before the
race. While most stakes races charge an entry fee, there are many
stakes that do not.
Starting Fees
The starting fee is the final fee to be paid when the horse is
declared a starter after the starting gate opens. If for some reason
the horse was scratched prior to the race's running, this fee would
not apply. These fees are billed directly from an owner's account
through the track's paymaster after the race has been run.
Where Do These Fees Go?
The nomination, entry, and starting fees are incorporated in the
purse of a stakes race. They affect the value of the race depending
upon if the stake is an "added money" or "guaranteed" race. An added
stakes race adds these fees to the advertised purse, increasing the
race's value. A guaranteed stakes race adds these fees to regular
purse revenues to bring the purse total up to its advertised amount.
Every track in the country has a different philosophy regarding
these fees. Some tracks, such as Prairie Meadows, do not charge any
nomination fees in order to entice horsemen to run in Iowa. Other
tracks run invitational stakes races with no fees whatsoever.
The ultimate goal of every track is to get the largest and highest
quality fields for all of its stakes races, and may change its
stakes' fee structure in order to do so
