Thursday, December 20, 2007
News Release: Grade III Lone Star Derby Jumped to $400,000
For Immediate Release
Contact: Darren Rogers (972) 237-1140
GRADE III LONE STAR DERBY JUMPED TO $400,000;
32 STAKES WORTH $3.525 MILLION HIGHLIGHT LONE STAR PARK'S 2008 SPRING THOROUGHBRED SEASON
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas (Thursday, Dec. 20, 2007) - Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie's Grade III Lone Star Derby will be worth $400,000 in 2008 as the 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds received a $100,000 boost for its 12th running on Saturday, May 10.
All told, Lone Star Park's 2008 Spring Thoroughbred Season will feature 32 stakes events, including five Grade III races, cumulatively worth $3.525 million. The 16-week meeting at the Dallas-Fort Worth area racetrack will commence Thursday, April 10, and will continue for 65 dates through Sunday, July 27.
The Lone Star Derby, scheduled one week after the Kentucky Derby for the sixth time, joins the Grade III Lone Star Park Handicap as the richest race of the meet. It also helps comprise one of six programs that feature multiple stakes events.
The season's centerpiece is Lone Star Million Day - Texas' richest day of racing with stakes purses totaling $1.1 million - to be staged for the 10th consecutive year on Memorial Day, Monday, May 26. Three graded stakes events top the holiday stakes parade: the Grade III, $400,000 Lone Star Park Handicap (3-year-olds and up at 1 1/16 miles); Grade III, $200,000 Dallas Turf Cup Handicap (3-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles on turf); and Grade III, $200,000 Ouija Board Handicap (fillies and mares at one mile on turf). The $100,000 Valid Expectations Stakes (fillies and mares at six furlongs); $100,000 USA Stakes (3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles on turf); and $100,000 Cinemine Stakes (3-year-old fillies at seven furlongs) complete the lineup.
The latter, formerly known as the Stonerside Stakes, was renamed to honor the graded stakes-winning mare Cinemine, who earned $506,681 between 1997-2000. Owned by Nolan Creek Farm and trained by Larry Robideaux Jr., Cinemine was crowned Lone Star Park's Champion 3-year-old Female in 1998 and Champion Older Female in 2000. She also won five Lone Star Park stakes races - a local record shared by Mocha Express.
Saturday, April 26 is Lone Star Million Preview Day with four stakes, topped by the Grade III, $300,000 Texas Mile Stakes (3-year-olds and up at one mile), which serve as local preludes to the Lone Star Million.
Texas-breds and progeny of Texas stallions will be showcased Saturday, July 12 in the eighth annual Stars of Texas Day. The stakes six-pack worth $500,000 includes the $100,000 Assault Stakes (Texas-bred 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/16 miles), which received a $25,000 purse hike for the 2008 renewal.
Other key Spring Thoroughbred Season dates will be simulcasts of the Triple Crown: the 134th Kentucky Derby from Churchill Downs on Saturday, May 3; the 133rd Preakness Stakes from Pimlico Race Course on Saturday, May 17; and the 140th Belmont Stakes from Belmont Park on Saturday, June 7.
Lone Star Park's 2008 Spring Thoroughbred Season will run four days a week every Thursday and Friday at 6:35 p.m. CT and Saturday and Sunday at 1:35 p.m. CT. The Lone Star Million program on Memorial Day will start at 1:35 p.m. CT, and special twilight programs with post-race holiday fireworks on Thursday, July 3 and Friday, July 4 (Lone Stars & Stripes Fireworks Celebration) will commence at 5 p.m. CT.
Reserved seating will go on sale in March. Packages for groups of 20 or more, including luxury suite rentals, are already being booked (call the group sales department at 972-237-5118 for more information).
All told, Lone Star Park will host 96 live racing dates in 2008.
The 31-date Fall Quarter Horse Season will run for 10 weeks from Friday, Sept. 26 through Saturday, Nov. 29. Racing will be conducted Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at 6:35 p.m. CT through October, with Wednesdays added to the lineup in November. There will be a special 5 p.m. CT first live race on Saturday, Oct. 25 that will immediately follow a simulcast of the 25th Breeders' Cup World Championships from Santa Anita. Also, there will be no live racing on Wednesday, Nov. 26 or Thursday, Nov. 27 due to the Thanksgiving holiday.
Until then, simulcast wagering will continue seven days a week in Lone Star's Post Time Pavilion (except Christmas Eve and Christmas Day). Simulcast wagering also will be offered Saturdays and Sundays on the second floor of the Grandstand - a smoke-free environment with free box seating and private televisions - starting on Saturday, Dec. 29.
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Tuesday, July 31, 2007
MODEST ON-TRACK GAINS DESPITE RECORD RAINFALL AT LONE STAR PARK
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas (Monday, July 30, 2007) - Despite enduring its wettest spring/summer in track history, Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie concluded the 2007 Spring Thoroughbred Season on Sunday, July 29 with modest increases in both total and average daily attendance and on-track total handle. Wagering on the live product, however, declined both on and off-track.
Total attendance during the 2007 Spring Thoroughbred Season, which was conducted over 67 dates between April 12 and July 29, increased 4.0% to 475,000, compared to 457,000 during the 66-date 2006 season. Average daily attendance grew 2.5% to 7,100 versus 6,900 a year ago.
Total on-track wagering, which includes betting by on-track customers on Lone Star Park's live races and simulcast races imported by the track, was $73.2 million, a jump of 5.1% from the $69.6 million in 2006. The daily total on-track wagering average increased 3.6% to $1.09 million, compared to $1.05 million one year ago.
"The North Texas climate is often unpredictable, but this year's record deluge certainly impacted attendance, handle, field sizes and the training of horses," said Lone Star Park President and General Manager Drew Shubeck. "To show growth in on-track attendance and total on-track handle in a year that featured such obstacles is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our entire team and partners. Our dedicated fans and horsemen were resilient and we thank each of them for their growing support during our 10th anniversary year."
According to the National Weather Service, 27.68 inches of rain fell in the Grand Prairie, Texas area between April and July - up 15 inches from the previous 10-year average and 21 inches more than 2006. May and June, victimized by more than 19 inches alone, combined to be the wettest two months in Dallas-Fort Worth history.
In spite of the inclement weather, total on-track wagers on live racing only declined 3.0% from $29.2 million in 2006 to $28.4 million this season. Off-track export business, however, significantly dipped 14.9% to total $83.4 million versus $97.9 million a year ago. As a result, wagering on Lone Star's live races by on and off-track customers totaled $111.7 million compared to $127.2 million in 2006, a 12.1% decline.
"The decrease in off-track wagering is attributed to several factors," Shubeck said. "Obviously, the weather greatly impacted our product offering and made it less attractive to bettors. That led to soft business in several key markets. California is a prime example, which imported 36-percent less races this year than 2006."
Favorites won a record 39.3% of the time and the average field size dipped to an all-time low of 8.49 horses per race, largely due to a record 527 late scratches (up 42.4% from the 370 in 2006). There was an average of 7.8 late scratches per day, including 10 or more on 18 occasions - all on days that featured "off" tracks and cancelled turf racing.
All told, 60 races originally scheduled for the turf were transferred to main track due to rainfall over 21 different racing dates, including closing day. Lone Star Park also had to cancel its final six races on Sunday, July 1 due to a severe downpour that washed out the main track.
"Notwithstanding the record rainfall and scratches, we'll be exploring ways to make our live product more competitive and appealing to bettors nationwide for 2008," Shubeck said.
Three-time national training champ and area resident Steve Asmussen, who earlier this year won the Preakness Stakes with Curlin, outlasted Grand Prairie native Bret Calhoun, 73 wins to 67, to earn his ninth Lone Star training title in the last 10 years. Asmussen trailed Calhoun by as many as 14 victories on June 9, but won with 49 of his next 142 starters (a 34.5% win clip over the last 31 race dates) to snare another crown. Calhoun, who won his 1,000th career race July 12, has finished second to Asmussen three years in a row. Danny Pish finished third with 47 wins, followed by Cody Autrey's 42. Together, they won 35.3% of Lone Star's 649 races.
The local riding title went to a new face at Lone Star: Ramsey Zimmerman. The 25-year-old, who moved his tack to the region last November, defeated two-time defending champ Cliff Berry and Luis Quinonez, 82-72. Both Zimmerman and Berry reached career milestones at Lone Star this season. On May 6, Zimmerman won his 1,000th career race. That same day, Berry surpassed Corey Lanerie as Lone Star Park's all-time leading rider (he now has 530 career local wins) and later rode his 3,000th career Thoroughbred winner July 8.
Sandy and Jerry Heflin of Rockwall and Ywachetta and James Driver of Irving merged into a partnership earlier this year with hope of becoming Lone Star's leading owners. Not only did they achieve their goal, they won a single season record 30 races, which eclipsed Kagele Brothers Inc.'s 2004 mark of 27. They finished 12 wins clear of Bill and Corrine Heiligbrodt's 18 victories. Last year, the Heflins led the Lone Star owner's standings themselves with 17 wins.
Gold Coyote, with 82-year-old owner/breeder Clarence Scharbauer Jr. on hand, won Sunday's $70,000 Middleground Breeders' Cup Stakes by 5 lengths over South Branch Storm for his second straight stakes win. On July 7, the Bret Calhoun-trainee also took the $125,000 Texas Stallion Stakes by 10 lengths and was awarded a Beyer Speed Figure of 100 - the highest for a 2-year-old in Lone Star's Spring Thoroughbred Season history. His effort Sunday was deemed a 97.
As a result, Gold Coyote snatched Horse of the Meet honors from Bob and John, the Champion Older Male who earned $295,000 at the meet while running second in the Grade III, $300,000 Texas Mile and beating Sweetnorthernsaint in a memorable renewal of the Grade III, $400,000 Lone Star Park Handicap.
The Lone Star Park Handicap was the centerpiece of Lone Star Park's ninth annual Lone Star Million on Memorial Day, which lured a crowd of 16,196 and $1.9 million in on-track total wagers, increases of 29.5% and 21.3%, respectively, from 2006.
Lone Star Million, which features six stakes events, helped comprise 14 major racing and/or promotion-driven events during the season. After severe thunderstorms and bitter cold helped cripple opening weekend business (attendance was off 18.2%, on-track wagering fell 11.6% and a post-race concert by Foreigner was cancelled), Lone Star rallied to show healthy gains of 9.9% for attendance (166,055 versus 151,133 on comparable dates in 2006) and 1.8% for on-track total handle ($22.1 million compared to $21.7 million a year ago) for its remaining big event days.
"To commemorate our 10th anniversary year, we directed additional marketing dollars toward specific events and racing days, and the results were very positive despite rainfall on several of those dates," Shubeck said.
Season highlights included crowds of 25,040 and 16,047 for racing and holiday fireworks on July 3-4 - typically the two most attended days of the meet. A simulcast of the Triple Crown series again proved popular with 38,047 customers (up 0.8% from 2006) who wagered in excess of $8.1 million on-track (up 8.5%) for the three-race series. Stars of Texas, a day completely devoted to Texas-breds, also showed significant gains in attendance and handle. The July 7 attendance of 8,110 jumped 31.9% while on-track total handle was $1.4 million, a 13.8% increase.
Live racing at Lone Star Park will resume Friday, Oct. 5 for a 32-date Fall Meeting of Champions through Saturday, Dec. 1. The nine-week meeting for American Quarter Horses will run Wednesday through Saturday nights at 6:35 p.m. CT with a special 5 p.m. first race on Saturday, Oct. 27 to complement a simulcast of the Breeders' Cup World Championships from Monmouth Park.
Until then, simulcast wagering in Lone Star's Post Time Pavilion continues seven days a week, topped by popular summer signals such as upstate New York's Saratoga and Southern California's Del Mar. The smoke-free second floor of Lone Star's grandstand will be open Saturdays and Sundays through Labor Day for simulcast wagering, as well.
"Onsite simulcast wagering has been extremely positive, especially over the last 13 weeks," Shubeck said. "Currently, we're ahead of last year's pace ($98.0 million since the first of the year compared to $97.2 million in 2006) and we've increased simulcast wagering by $4.1 million, or 9.8-percent, since the first of May. We'll work very hard this off-season to continue the positive trend, which is important to our bottom line and the horsemen's purse account for 2008."
Lone Star Park expects to have a similar race schedule for the 2008 Spring Thoroughbred Season.
"Unlike years past, we dropped five Wednesday programs this year in exchange for an additional week of racing," Shubeck said. "A four-day racing week was the prudent move for our current horse population and business model. If it weren't for the constant severe weather, we truly believe there would have been growth in starters per race because entries were on par with last year. Unfortunately, we had an unprecedented number of late scratches and the training of numerous horses were compromised. Therefore, we are pursuing a similar race schedule for 2008 at this time with hope for more favorable and typical weather patterns."
[Please see the attached Word document, which has detailed business level comparisions to 2006 and other information; or simply log onto lonestarpark.com.]
<<20070730 End of Meet Release.doc>>
Darren Rogers
Director of Communications, Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie
Office: (972) 237-1140
Cellular: (469) 964-0663
FAX: (972) 237-1125
Home: (214) 343-0636
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Sing Baby Sing Wires Field in $50,000 Bob Johnson Memorial Stakes at Lone Star
SING BABY SING WIRES FIELD IN $50,000 BOB JOHNSON MEMORIAL AT LONE STAR
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas (Saturday, July 21, 2007) - Sing Baby Sing set a measured pace and turned back a stern challenge in deep stretch from 8-5 favorite Waupaca to win Saturday's $50,000 Bob Johnson Memorial Stakes by a half-length in front of 7,674 fans at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas.
It was the fourth consecutive win for the 4-year-old colt trained by Jack Bruner and owned by Tom Durant of Granbury, Texas.
With 20-year-old Justin Shepherd in the irons, Sing Baby Sing ran one mile on a "firm" turf course in 1:34.45, which was a stakes record for the 11th running of the race. The final time eclipsed Nobodywantmetilnow's 1:34.90 in 2006.
After breaking from the outside stall in a field of nine older horses, Sing Baby Sing assumed the lead and moved to the inside rail when no other runners asserted themselves early on. He clicked off a comfortable first quarter mile in :24.37 and the half in :47.46.
"The original plan was to be off the pace with him but nobody wanted the lead and we kind of inherited it," Shepherd said. "He's a very fast horse and when we cleared them we had it all our own way."
At the top of the stretch, two lengths separated the field. Waupaca, under Quincy Hamilton, made his bid passing the quarter pole and gained a short lead at the top of the stretch. Sing Baby Sing, however, battled back gamely and prevailed in deep stretch.
"They kind of got the jump on us at the top of the stretch, but he has a lot of heart and he was able to overcome it," Shepherd said.
Added Bruner: "I thought we were going to get 'Waupaca-ed' again, but he kept fighting all the way. Waupaca is a nice horse."
Sing Baby Sing paid $11.20, $5 and $3.60 as the 9-2 fourth betting choice. Waupaca, who got the nod for second in a blanket finish for the minors, returned $3.40 and $2.60. Almost Certain was another head back in third and paid $3.80.
Wishingitwas and Electric Chant finished in a dead heat for fourth and were followed by Smooth Bid, Etesaal and Ernesto.
"We finished within a length of the winner and we can't even get a check," said Smooth Bid's trainer Steve Asmussen.
The victory gave the productive mare Roll Over Baby her fourth stakes winner. Sing Baby Sing, a Kentucky-bred son of Unbridled's Song, is a full brother to Value Plus (a $414,595 earner) and stakes-placed Werblin ($120,615). He's also a half-brother to stakes winners Majorbigtimesheet ($323,954) and Roll Hennessy Roll ($173,869).
"We went through our conditions this meet and this was the best spot to run him next," Bruner said. "The racing office tried to hustle us into the five-eighths turf sprint earlier this month, but I really wanted to stretch him out. He's a nice horse."
The $30,000 winner's share of the purse jumped Sing Baby Sing's earnings to $105,520. It was his fifth career win in nine starts.
Also on the 11-race program, Asmussen and Bret Calhoun continued their battle to be Lone Star's leading trainer. Asmussen began the day with a 60-57 lead, but Calhoun won the second, third and fourth races to draw even. Asmussen, however, prevailed in Races 7, 9 and 11 to regain his three-win advantage.
Ramsey Zimmerman added to his lead in the local jockey standings with a three-win day. He now leads two-time defending riding champ Cliff Berry 78-to-65 with five racing dates left. Closing day is Sunday, July 29.
Live racing continues Sunday with a 10-race program that begins at 1:35 p.m. CT. Sunday is Senior Citizen's Day where all patrons age 62 and up will receive free general admission with proof of identification.
