Overnight purses during the upcoming winter meet at Belmont Park will be increased by 23%, with better than $26 million up for grabs, officials at the New York Racing Association (NYRA) said on Oct. 19.The Belmont Park winter meet, to be conducted exclusively over the newly installed Tapeta track, begins Thursday, Dec. 10 and continues into March, with a definitive end date to be announced prior to the running of the 2027 Wood Memorial Stakes and in conjunction with the NYRA's 2027 racing dates.Average overnight purses will increase nearly 10% per race. The specific purse levels for the meet may be viewed here.The largest increase impacts state-bred first-level allowance races, which will enjoy an increase of $10,000 to $87,000, while the New York-bred maiden-special category will see the same hike to $85,000.Open-company maiden allowances jump $5,000 to $85,000, while open n1x races receive a $4,000 boost to $87,000. Open allowances will be contested for $93,000, up from $90,000 in 2025-2026.On Sept. 18, NYRA launched the Belmont Big Apple Bonus, a new initiative created to reward owners and trainers for participating in the fall meet at the new Belmont Park. The Big Apple Bonus provides up to $8,500 in awards per horse shipping or relocating to Belmont Park from other racing jurisdictions. Owners and trainers currently based at NYRA are fully eligible for these bonuses.“NYRA is making a significant investment in improving its winter racing program,” said Andrew Offerman, NYRA Senior Vice President of Racing and Operations. “We believe the Tapeta surface will draw interest from a wide variety of stables seeking winter racing opportunities throughout the region and that these purse increases in conjunction with the formation of the Big Apple Bonus program will provide an opportunity for a new era of winter racing to succeed in New York.”Stall apps for the winter meet are due by Nov. 13 and are available by clicking here.The post Overnight Purses To Increase By 23% During Belmont Winter Meet appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.