The Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration will introduce an unlimited total premium distribution at the 73rd Annual Celebration.  This is a change from the guaranteed purse used in previous years and will allocate 90% of the entry revenue to the premium payout. 

“This allows an unlimited premium distribution based on entries in the class.  The more entries in a class, the larger the purse will be,” said Celebration CEO Dr. Doyle Meadows.  He continued, “There were classes held last year that would have had a higher purse distribution with this new structure than they did with our previous guaranteed purse.”

The Celebration will not require horses to show back in championship classes in order to collect their premiums earned in the preliminary classes.  In 2010, approximately $500,000 was paid out in premiums on entry revenue of $400,000.

“We have looked at unlimited premium distribution the past several years and were anxious to see the response to it at this year’s Trainers’ Show.  The trainers’ had one of their most successful shows in many years  employing this system in 2011 and that encouraged us to try it at The Celebration,”  Meadows said.

The 2011 World Grand Championship class will be an exception and will keep the $50,000 guaranteed purse as it has been in previous years.  In 2011, not one championship class had entry fees that covered the guaranteed premiums in that championship class.

“It is important for anyone that collects premiums to realize that this decision is not a guaranteed reduction in total premiums but rather an opportunity to allow entry revenue to drive premiums with an unlimited potential for those payouts,” concluded Meadows.

The following chart outlines the % of premium payouts for the 73rd Annual Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration.  Click here to view.