The Delaware Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association (DTHA) sponsor of the Delaware Certified Thoroughbred Program (DCTP), will increase the program’s purse bonuses for owners and certifiers from 15 percent to 20 percent each, effective June 1, 2008. Owners and certifiers of "Delaware Certified" thoroughbreds are eligible for the bonuses if their horses finish first, second or third in any race, including stake races, at Delaware Park. The cap on open stake races also received an increase from $5,000 to $10,000 in the maximum amount paid to the owners and the certifier.

"By increasing Delaware Certified bonuses for owners and certifiers we hope to encourage more thoroughbred owners to participate in the program, which will increase entries in races at Delaware Park as well as the economic benefit to Delaware’s agriculture economy," said Barbara Brown, DTHA board member and chairperson of the Delaware Certified Thoroughbred Program Committee. The increase will also help the program remain competitive with the increasing purse structure in Pennsylvania, she said.

The Delaware Certified Program began in 2003 with 110 thoroughbreds. Today there are over 1,300 thoroughbreds in the program, which has paid over $1.6 million in additional purse bonuses and contributed more than $10 million to the state’s farming economy.

The program’s success led to the addition of two Delaware Certified stakes races in 2007 and two more stakes races during the 2008 Delaware Park meet. Each purse is $75,000 guaranteed.

A Delaware Certified Thoroughbred is a thoroughbred that spends a minimum of 90 consecutive days on a Delaware farm or training facility prior to March 31 of its two-year-old year and races at Delaware Park. Completition of an application form and certification fee is required. A total of 70 Delaware farms and training facilities are participating in the program.

For information about the Delaware Certified Thoroughbred Program, call (302) 994-2398, email dctp@dtha.com, or visit their website, www.dtha.com and click on the DCTP link to download an application or to find a list of participating Delaware farms. From the website you can also check to see if your horse of racing age is Delaware Certified.