Photo Finish LIVE Season 44 Starts July 27 With Major Races Open to Horses 3+

Photo Finish LIVE Season 44 begins July 27 with a significant change to its Major race series. Horses aged 3 and older will be eligible to compete in the Majors, replacing the previous restriction to 3-year-olds. The season also brings back the Rising Stars juvenile series, revises Satellite Races, and changes parts of the Major qualification and purse-funding structure.

What Changed

  • The Major series is now open to any horse aged 3 or older, replacing the 3-year-old-only field.
  • The Rising Stars juvenile series returns for 2-year-olds, structured like the Major series with Silver, Gold, and Bronze tickets.
  • Satellite Races, introduced in Season 43, come back with revised entry fees, field minimums, and ticket rewards.
  • NW races are removed from the Major qualifying process, while Graded and Stakes qualifying races remain available. Satellite Races and Win & In events also provide routes to Major qualifying tickets, and a larger share of race rake will be allocated to Major purses.
  • Mayhem Jackpot NW2 races run throughout the season for horses aged 3 and older, using age and grade weights.
  • With the Major series covering horses 3 and older, Open 3+ freeroll purses are reduced and the Open juvenile freerolls are removed.

Dates and Rollout

  • Season 44 begins July 27.
  • Satellite Races run on Thursdays and Sundays through the season.
  • The two juvenile finales are set at 6 furlongs and 10 furlongs.

Numbers and Rules

  • Each Major purse is preloaded with 80,000 Derby initially for Season 44.
  • Thursday Satellite Races cost 500 Derby to enter, need a 6-horse minimum field, and pay the winner a 2,800 Derby Major qualifying ticket. They cancel if the field is not met.
  • Sunday Satellite Races cost 800 Derby to enter, need an 8-horse minimum field, and pay the winner a 6,000 Derby Major qualifying ticket. They cancel if the field is not met.
  • The juvenile W3 Win & In day carries a 500 Derby entry, with all funds going to the season-end freeroll.
  • Each juvenile finale is pre-seeded with 12,000 Derby, drawn from reallocated Season 43 staking revenue.
  • Gold-ticket Win & In races add a 2,800 Derby Major satellite ticket to the prize pool.
  • The Mayhem Jackpot pot was approaching $700 at the time of the announcement.

Source: Official Photo Finish LIVE announcement

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