Lone Star Park celebrates the 25th anniversary of the season this year with optimism continuing to pervade Texas car races since the passage of the 2019 law, shifting part of the sales tax on horse fodder and resources. provided to the wallet.
The Grand Prairie meeting runs from April 28 to July 24, most days Thursday through Sunday, plus Memorial Day May 30 and July 4. No races on Thursdays May 5 and 26, June 2 and 30 and July 7. Deposit dates include Lonely Star Million Day on Memorial Day, Lone Star Showcase Day on June 19, Summer Lawn Festival on July 16 and Texas Stars Day on July 17.
“Texas racing has had a resurgence since they passed that bill,” said coach Austin Gustafson. “We are very excited. Things are going really well.”
Gustafson’s career parallels the resurgence of Texas racing, with 2020 and 2021 being breakout years for the 29-year-old coach, who won 24 races last year at the Lone Star. He said the majority of his owners are from Texas, wanted to race in Texas and responded with raised purses. Lone Star Park is expected to pay out $12.8 million to horse owners over the 48-day meeting, averaging about $268,000 a day.
“My clients have significantly increased their budgets with increased purses,” says Gustafson. “The people I worked for all started spending more money. More horses, more taxes. I think the law is definitely doing its job.”
Lone Star’s silver celebration follows a record-setting meetup at Sam Houston Race Park in which more than $103 million was wagered during a 50-day session that ran from January 6 to April 9. It marks the second year in a row the Houston track has bet more than $2 million a day. A record $5.97 million was wagered on January 30, Houston Racing Festival.
Horsemen are also expecting big things in Lone Star.
“The quality has improved dramatically in a short time, regardless of the size of the race,” said five-time Lone Star champion coach and five-time lead owner Karl Broberg. “You’re seeing the old faces that dropped the Lone Star back as well as the new ones. People are just running their better line count there, as opposed to the lesser number of rows they could otherwise have. leave for those who have separated from the barn.”
Concurs Bret Calhoun: “Texas Racing has gained a lot of momentum in the last two years. I felt last summer was the best quality of horses they’ve had there since the early days of the Lone Star, so that’s why. i think it takes slightly better horses to win the maiden races and allowances you get better wallets you get better horses the fields are fuller that’s the domino effect and i think you’ll see more of that this year.”
The grand opening will include a 25th anniversary hat giveaway as well as a celebration of Steve Asmussen’s milestone. The Hall of Famer makes the Lone Star meet as North America’s all-time winning coach with 9,713 wins as of April 18 and is continuing to rise, with Asmussen quickly trailing 9,445 of The late Dale Baird after breaking the record last August 7 in Saratoga.
Asmussen has a special affection for Lone Star Park, in addition to being the track’s all-time winning leader. He and his wife, Julie, lived in nearby Arlington for many years.
Asmussen, who won 17 races at the Lone Star’s first meeting in 1997 and the first of 14 coaching titles two years later, said: “All three boys were born in Arlington, a short distance from Arlington. racetrack about 15 minutes. A very special place for us. With all the testing of horse racing now, the agricultural tax that Texas puts in place to supplement their race is proving to be very effective. “
Indeed, it’s no coincidence that Asmussen has won two Lone Star coaching titles since purses rose, with Broberg taking the crown in 2019 and 2018. Asmussen went 71 with 344 last year after 50 with 266 in 2020.
“Financial opportunity allows you to run slightly more expensive horses,” said Asmussen, who also claimed his 14th Sam Houston coach title earlier this month with 51 wins. “I’m fortunate to have the opportunity when horses go away, and I hope that continues.”
With more money on the table, the competition is generally tougher — and that’s the point, he says.
“That’s what we’re hoping, to build the product as well as the state-bred program there,” Asmussen said from Churchill Downs, where he is preparing for Louisiana Derby winner Epicenter for the Kentucky Derby and the undefeated 2-year-old champion. Tiny Echo Zulu for Kentucky Bulls. “I think sales in Texas have gone up significantly over the past few days, which (meaning) better horses will run for more money.”
Broberg won five of the Lone Star’s six training titles from 2014 to 2019, with Asmussen topping out in 2017. He’s been strong last year (54 wins) and in 2020 (42) in when it comes to second on the charts but can’t compare to Asmussen’s horsepower.
When asked about his expectations for the encounter, Broberg said: “To end a second away from Asmussen on the charts as usual.”
It’s just a fact, but Broberg says he’s not conceding anything.
“Lone Star Park is my home,” he said. “I live 15 miles from the racetrack. I always try to give my best. I’m working as hard as I can to put up the deck, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to turn out that way.”
End Zone Athletics, the Broberg-led consortium, remains the owner to beat and become the Lone Star as the lead team against Sam Houston in 2022 with 29 wins. End Zone took the Lone Star title last year with 40 wins, with Asmussen coming in second with 22.
Stewart Elliott — the 2004 Kentucky Derby winner on Smarty Jones and who claimed his first Lone Star equestrian title last year — entered the bout with the Sam Houston crown, where he beat Ry Eikleberry 62-59 in victory. Eikleberry left Lone Star for Minnesota’s Canterbury Park last year but will stay for the entire meeting this time, according to his agent, Jose Santos Jr.
David Cabrera, 2014 Lone Star’s top racer, who’s always been in horse racing, can resume riding May 12 after being injured in an oil spill at Arkansas’ Oaklawn Park, Santos reported. believe. Ernesto Valdez-Jimenez and Lane Luzzi are the standouts in the horse racing rankings.
Memorial Day features a blockbuster card, with six stakes forming the Lone Star Million Day, topped by the $400,000 Steve Sexton Mile and the $300,000 Texas Derby. New to Million Day will be the first $100,000 Speightstown sprint for 3-year-olds to run on dirt tracks, a six-hair race named for the winner of the Breeders Cup Sprint of the year. 2004 at Lone Star. The 21 shares of the meeting will total more than $2.8 million.
Calhoun said both Silver Dust, a graded and near-millionaire multi-stakes winner of Tom Durant, and Mr. Wireless are all contenders for the Sexton Mile. Mr. Wireless finished second in last year’s Texas Derby at the Lone Star before winning the 3rd Indiana and West Virginia Derby.
Featured promotions include the May 7 Kentucky Derby, the May 21 Preakness and the June 11 Belmont Stakes simulations; May 1 boiled cow; Dollar Days on May 14 and July 16; Lone Star BARK (with dog competitions) May 22; Giving away t-shirts to celebrate the 25th anniversary of June 4; Extreme race day (camel, zebra and ostrich races) June 25-26; and fireworks on July 3-4. Handicapping Competition Qualifiers for the National Athletics Championships: April 30, 28, 29 & 30 May and July 16.
The first post on Thursday and Friday is 6:35 p.m. CT and 1:35 p.m. CT on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. The promotional schedule can be downloaded here, including
live music performance. To book and buy tickets
visit lonestarpark.com.
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