30-day meet at Woodlands

The Woodlands in Kansas City, Kansas, which last year experienced one of its strongest meets, will open for 30 days of mixed racing for Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses on Monday. The meet will run on a Friday-through-Tuesday basis through Oct. 31.

The Woodlands features separate horse racing and greyhound facilities on the same property, and last year handle on its live horse races rose 103 percent over the corresponding meet, to $196,984 a day. Attendance was up 22 percent, to 1,400 a day.

This meet, there are 13 stakes scheduled for Thoroughbreds, led by the $25,000 Woodlands Derby and $25,000 Woodlands Handicap, both on Oct. 30. Quarter Horse stakes include the $40,000-added Kansas Futurity, a Grade 3 race, on Oct. 3; and the $50,000-added Kansas Jackpot Futurity, a restricted Grade 3 race, on Oct. 31.

Trials for the Kansas Futurity and Kansas Derby will be run on Tuesday, said Doug Schoepf, who returns to The Woodlands as director of racing for the first time since 2000. Schoepf is also the racing secretary at Canterbury Park and Fonner Park. Purses this meet will average $55,000 to $60,000 a day, about the same as last year.

Ken Shino, who is coming back from an injury, is expected to return to the saddle soon in pursuit of his seventh riding title at The Woodlands. Kenneth Gleason is back to defend his training title. Other trainers on hand will include leading Nebraska horseman Dave Anderson and Canterbury regular Troy Bethke.