Belterra opens season with 14 stakes scheduled

Belterra Park begins its live racing season this week with some of the best Thoroughbreds in Ohio, and then looks ahead the following weekend to a regional celebration of the Kentucky Derby.

The Cincinnati track’s live racing season runs from Friday through Sept. 30, with a Thursday-through-Sunday race week. The first of the season’s 14 stakes, the $75,000 Edward Babst/Albert Palacios Memorial Handicap for Ohio-bred older horses anchors Saturday’s card. Among the 18 nominations for the race, which will have entries drawn later this week, are Ohio horse of the year Mo Dont No and fellow state stalwarts Cake Pop, Rivers Run Deep, and Strike Your Light.

Belterra, which is less than two hours from Churchill Downs, has also planned events celebrating the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks to go along with its live racing. On Friday, May 4, Belterra will simulcast the Kentucky Oaks, host a “Park After Dark” event with live music at the track, and will put on a fireworks show. On Derby Day, May 5, Belterra will hold a hat contest and will broadcast the race on its largest outdoor screens.

“The Kentucky Derby is our biggest day of the year, so we suggest arriving early, getting a great spot to watch, wager and enjoy a day at the races with friends and family,” Chris Corrado, vice president and general manager of Belterra, said in a release. “We love Derby Day and our team is always excited to host Cincinnati’s biggest Derby party.”

The Derby Day live racing card at Belterra will feature the $75,000 Tall Stack Stakes for Ohio-bred 3-year-olds sprinting. The track’s spring and summer stakes calendar also includes the Tomboy Stakes on May 13, the Green Carpet Stakes on May 27, the Sydney Gendelman Memorial Handicap on June 9, the Cincinnatian Stakes and the Hoover Stakes on July 7, the Buckeye Native and the Norm Barron Queen City Oaks on July 22, the Vivacious Handicap on Aug. 5, the Horizon Stakes on Aug. 12, the Tah Dah Stakes on Aug. 26, the Miss Southern Ohio on Sept. 2, and the Loyalty Stakes on Sept. 8. All are $75,000 stakes for Ohio-bred or Ohio-accredited runners.

The state showcase Best of Ohio program, which rotates between Ohio’s racetracks, was contested at Belterra Park last year, but this year will be held at Thistledown.