Houston Track to Open With Highest Purses in Park History

Houston Track to Open With Highest Purses in Park History:

The Return of Live Thoroughbred & American Quarter Horse Racing Featuring

High-Dollar Stakes Races Every Weekend Beginning on Friday, January 20^th

Horseback Photo by Lucy Reyna

HOUSTON, TX (SHRP)—Sam Houston Race Park will open its 19^th Annual Live Racing Season with the opening of its Thoroughbred Meet on Friday, January 20, 2012 with average daily purse amounts in excess of $160,000, the highest in the Park’s 18 year history. The Park will be offering two new wagers for the 2012 racing season. The Houston Hi-Five (or known as a Super Hi-Five in the racing world) requires fans to select the first five horses in order of finish. The Houston Hi-Five will be offered twice a race card and will carryover if there are no winning tickets. The Pick Five requires the selection of winners in five consecutive races and will be offered on the last five races of the racing card. Both wagers will be at an industry low 12% takeout along with the popular Pick 3’s. Fans will be able to place a minimum bet of $.50 on all Trifecta, Pick Three, Pick Four, Pick Five and Houston Hi- Five wagers during the 2012 live racing meet.

The 2012 Thoroughbred Meet will feature 15 stakes races totaling more than $1.1 million in purses over the course of the 31-day meet. The stakes program will once again be highlighted by the Grade III $200,000 John B. Connally Turf Cup, The Park’s signature event, on January 28, 2012.

The 2012 Thoroughbred stakes schedule will begin with an exciting change to Texas Champions Day on opening weekend, and for the first time ever the traditional one day event will be extended over two days starting on Friday, January 20 and continuing on Saturday, January 21. Texas Champions Weekend will feature over $400,000 in total purses beginning Friday, a day highlighted for fillies and mares carrying over to Saturday, a day that will feature open races for Texas-breds. The Texas-themed live racing event will include seven high-dollar stakes races; the $100,000 Star of Texas Stakes for 4-years-old and up, $50,000 Richard King Stakes, $50,000 Spirit of Texas Stakes, $50,000 San Jacinto Stakes for fillies and mares, $50,000 Yellow Rose Stakes, $50,000 Bara Lass Stakes for 3-year-old fillies and the $50,000 Groovy Stakes for 3-year-olds.

In addition to Texas Champions Weekend, the 2012 Thoroughbred Stakes Schedule also includes: January 28: $200,000 John B. Connally Turf Cup, February 4: $50,000 Jersey Lilly Stakes, February 11: $75,000 Champion Energy Services Stakes, February 18: Texas Stallions Day, $100,000 Jim’s Orbit Stakes & $100,000 Two Altazano Stakes, February 25: $50,000 Sam Houston Distaff, March 3: $150,000 MAXXAM Gold Cup and March 10: $50,000 Spring Chrysler Jeep Dodge Stakes.

The 2012 American Quarter Horse Meet will begin on Thursday, March 22^th and will be highlighted by the Grade II $100,000+ Bank of America Challenge Championships (April 14) and the Grade II $100,000+ Sam Houston Futurity (April 14). New to the quarter horse meet this year will be $2 domestic longnecks every Thursday and returning to the quarter horse meet will be The Park’s Concert Series. The series will begin March 31, running eight consecutive weeks, and will feature a variety of mainstream artists.