Purse levels for maiden special weight (MSW) races at Kentucky's two summer meets, Ellis Park and Kentucky Downs, are projected to remain level this year compared to 2025.At Ellis, that means $100,000 per MSW race over the course of a 25-date meet in July and August, and at Kentucky Downs, the MSW purses will be $170,000 over seven dates in August and September.The disclosures were made by representatives of each track at the Apr. 1 meeting of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF) advisory committee.Although MSW purse levels do not tell the entire story about how healthy a track or a circuit's racing is, they are often cited within the Thoroughbred industry as a useful barometer that indicates the class and bettability of horses a track can expect to attract.Last year's MSW races at Ellis were worth $100,000. In 2024, they were 71,000. In 2023, when Ellis ran its first meet under the ownership of Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI), MSW races were $70,000. In 2022, under different management, that value was $60,000.Kentucky Downs MSW purses have been at $170,000 since the 2024 meet. MSW purses were $150,000 in 2023 and 2022. They were $135,000 in 2021.The MSW purses have settled at their current levels after arriving there via different paths.At Ellis, CDI has been trying to implement a strategy that maintains six-figure maiden purses year-round to incentivize racing stables to remain in the state.The CDI-owned Turfway Park just completed a meet with $100,000 MSW purses, and MSW races in the condition book for Churchill's upcoming spring meet are worth $120,000.The spring meet at Keeneland Race Course, which opens Friday, will have MSW purses for 3-year-olds and up at $110,000 and for 2-year-olds at $90,000.Kentucky Downs, by contrast, for years has offered what is by far the biggest money outlay for maidens at any North American racetrack.The short, all-turf boutique meet boasts the highest overall purse structure on the continent, and although it didn't come up during the Apr. 1 meeting, KTDF board members in previous years have cautioned against the risks of Kentucky Downs maintaining such a high, industry-topping level, lest Kentucky politicians get the notion that too much gaming and wagering revenue is being used to fund purses that are out of whack with those in other jurisdictions.The KTDF is funded by three-quarters of 1% of all money wagered in the state on both live Thoroughbred races and historical horse race gaming, plus 1% of all money wagered on Thoroughbred races via inter-track wagering and whole-card simulcasting. That money, along with funding from each track, goes to pay purses in the state.At Wednesday's meeting, the KTDF advisory board approved the recommendation of allotment requests that the Ellis and Kentucky Downs purse estimates were based on. The Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation still has to vote on final approval of the funding at a subsequent meeting.The post MSW Purses At Ellis, Kentucky Downs Projected To Remain Level Compared To Last Summer appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.