1/18/2010
Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie announced that the track’s 2010 Spring Thoroughbred Season will feature 21 stakes, including four Grade 3 races, worth more than $2.2 million in purses. The 60-day meet is scheduled for Thursday, April 8, through Sunday, July 18, 2010.
The season’s centerpiece is Lone Star Million Day, Texas’ richest day of Thoroughbred racing with purses totaling $1 million, which will be held for the 12th consecutive year on Memorial Day, Monday, May 31. Two graded stakes events top the holiday card -- the Grade 3, $300,000 Lone Star Park Handicap (3-year-olds and up at 1 1/16 miles) and Grade 3, $200,000 Ouija Board Distaff (fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up, at one mile on the turf).
Last year’s Lone Star stakes schedule included 32 events totaling $3.55 million, although some were cut during the meet. In addition to several stakes that were cut for this year, others had their purses reduced. Among the reductions are the Lone Star Park Handicap and Texas Mile, both shaved by $100,000, and the Lone Star Derby was cut in half to $200,000. Also the Dallas Turf Cup, which was a Grade 3 race last year, will be ungraded in 2010.
“Like many other major racetracks across the United States, we’ve had to review our stakes offerings for the 2010 meet,” said Lone Star Park President and General Manager Drew Shubeck. “With the cooperation of the horsemen and breeders, we’ve made adjustments to the stakes schedule in order to preserve our overnight purse levels and ensure that we maintain the quality of our day-to-day racing product.”
In addition, there are five other stakes scheduled for Memorial Day including, the $150,000 Dallas Turf Cup Handicap (3-year-olds and up at 1 1/16 miles on turf); three $75,000 stakes -- the Valid Expectations Stakes (fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up, at six furlongs), USA Stakes (3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles on turf), and Cinemine Stakes (3-year-old fillies at seven furlongs); plus the $50,000 Carter McGregor, Jr. Memorial Stakes (Texas-bred 3-year-olds and up at six furlongs). Previously, the Dallas Turf Cup was run at a 1 1/8 miles on turf.
The Grade 3, $200,000 Lone Star Derby for 3-year-olds (1 1/16 miles) on Saturday, May 8, highlights the meet’s second richest day, which includes two $100,000 Texas Stallion Stakes for 3-year-olds, with a division for colts and geldings and the other for fillies both to be run at 1 1/16 miles.
Another highlight of the 2010 meet will be Lone Star Million Preview Day on Saturday, April 24, featuring three races that will serve as preps for Lone Star Million Day including the Grade 3, $200,000 Texas Mile Stakes (3-year-olds and up at one mile), plus the $50,000 Grand Prairie Turf Challenge (3-year-olds and up at a mile on turf) and $50,000 Irving Distaff (fillies and mares, 3-years-old and up, at 7 ½ furlongs on turf). The Grand Prairie Turf Challenge previously was for 3-year-olds only.
Texas-breds and progeny of Texas stallions will be showcased in four stakes races on Saturday, July 10 in the 10th annual Stars of Texas Day. The card is highlighted by two divisions of the $100,000 Texas Stallion Stakes (2-year-olds at 5 ½ furlongs); the $75,000 Assault Stakes (Texas-bred 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/16 miles) and $50,000 Valor Farm Stakes (Texas-bred fillies and mares, 3-years-old and up, at 6 furlongs). The Texas Stallion Stakes purses are currently listed with a $100,000 purse for each division, but the Texas Thoroughbred Association Board of Directors is trying to find source funding to increase the value of each race by $25,000 so that all four races in the series for that crop will be worth $125,000.
Lone Star Park’s 60-day 2010 Spring Thoroughbred Season will run four days a week every Thursday and Friday at 6:35 p.m. (except Thursday, June 3 when there will be no live racing), and Saturday and Sunday at 1:35 p.m. starting on April 8. The Lone Star Million Day program on Memorial Day will start at 1:35 p.m. and special twilight programs with post-race holiday fireworks on Saturday, July 3 and Sunday, July 4 (Lone Stars & Stripes Fireworks Celebration) will commence at 5 p.m.