Lone Star Park opens Thursday night with a strong roster of jockeys and trainers signed on for the 41-date meet that is highlighted by the Lone Star Million Day card and the Summer Turf Festival. “Those would be our two big open stakes days,” said Bart Lang, director of racing operations for Lone Star. The Million Day card features six stakes on Memorial Day, May 25, led by the Grade 3, $400,000 Steve Sexton Mile and the $300,000 Texas Derby. The Summer Turf Festival is June 27, and the program of four stakes includes the $250,000 Texas Turf Classic and the $125,000 Wasted Tears. Lone Star will race Fridays through Sundays most weeks. The season continues through July 12. Post for Fridays is 6:35 p.m. Central and 1:35 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays, and the holiday Monday. Lone Star will not be racing under the jurisdiction of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority due to a years-long impasse between HISA and the Texas Racing Commission. As a result, Lone Star’s export signal will once again be restricted to international sites like Canada and tracks in Texas. Purses for the meet are projected to average $270,000 per card, the same as last season, Lang said. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. The distribution has led to a strong contingent of trainers, among them newcomer Justin Evans. And with the stable power comes some new riders, including Geovanni Franco, who has been based in Southern California; Lane Luzzi, who returned to this market over the winter after being based in New York; and Ramon Vazquez, who is currently battling for the title at the Oaklawn meet that closes May 2. Sam Houston title winner Steve Asmussen will again be one of the meet’s most active trainers as he returns to his home track of Lone Star, while others expected for the season include Bret Calhoun, J.R. Caldwell, Dick Cappellucci, Robertino Diodoro, Todd Fincher, Karen Jacks, Danny Pish, Abel Ramirez-Rodriguez, Mindy Willis, and Scott Young. Stewart Elliott, who is coming off the riding title at Sam Houston, will be part of a colony that also includes Jose Alvarez, David Cabrera, Rene Diaz, Fernando Jara, and Alfredo Juarez Jr. Elliott will see stakes action on Thursday night’s card, when he rides 2025 Texas-bred of the year Too Much Kiki in the $75,000 Bluebonnet. The 6 1/2-furlong race is for fillies and mares bred in Texas. The field of nine also includes Modo, who won the Yellow Rose Stakes last out at Sam Houston. She is making her first start for trainer Kinnon LaRose, who took over the stable of trainer Tom Amoss when he announced he was moving to an advisory role beginning April 1. Lone Star’s stakes schedule has two special cards focusing on horses who were either bred in Texas or who graduated from an auction sponsored by the Texas Thoroughbred Association. The first of those stakes cards is Lone Star Showcase Day on June 13 and the second is Stars of Texas Day on July 11. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.