Louisiana Downs announced on Thursday the reduction of the purse for its marquee race, the Super Derby (G2) on September 23, to $500,000.

The purse for last season's Super Derby was $750,000.

The Bossier City, Louisiana, track released a stakes schedule that features 48 stakes races for cumulative purses of $4.1-million for the upcoming season, slated to begin on May 5.

Purses on the Super Derby undercard races will be increased. Most significantly, the purse for the Marie P. DeBartolo Oaks Handicap, a 1 1/16-mile turf race for three-year-old fillies, was boosted from $75,000 to $200,000 this year. The Louisiana Downs Breeders' Cup Handicap, a 1 1/16-mile turf race for three-year-olds and older, will also be the beneficiary of a substantial purse hike from $125,000 to $200,000 for the 2006 edition.

The Super Derby distance will return to 1 1/8 miles for the 2006 edition after the event was contested at 1 1/4 miles last year, when Greg Norman's The Daddy battled for the early lead and held off A. P. Arrow by a neck.

The $1.2-million Louisiana Champions Day card will be held on August 19 with 12 races worth $100,000 each for Louisiana-breds.

The Louisiana Downs meeting will run through October 21.