Thoroughbred Group Increases Purses to Offset Comp Costs

Owners of Thoroughbred racehorses will be charged a flat fee for workers' compensation every time they start a horse, rather than having that money deducted from winnings, but payouts will be increased to offset these costs. The California Thoroughbred Business League said prior to January 2013, owners paid a $105 per-start fee to cover workers' compensation costs for riders. That payment, however, was taken out of the purse account for each race. This year, owners will have $95 automatically deducted from their account each time they start a horse. "In order to offset race...