Fair meeting offers 17 stakes in 16 days

The Los Angeles County Fair meeting at Fairplex Park from Sept.o7-24 will feature 17 stakes for Thoroughbreds, a calendar largely unchanged from the 2006 meeting.

Once again there is a stakes on each of the 16 racing days. The main stakes of the meeting are grouped on the final weekend - the $100,000 Las Madrinas Handicap for fillies and mares on Sept. 21, the $100,000 Pomona Derby on Sept. 22, and the $125,000 Ralph Hinds Pomona Invitational Handicap on Sept. 23. The $65,000 Governor's Cup is also on the Sept. 23 card.

One slight change in the calendar is the swap of the first two stakes for 3-year-olds - the Derby Trial Stakes and Foothill Stakes. The Derby Trial has been moved from the first Monday to opening day, which will give those 3-year-olds more time to prepare for the Pomona Derby. The Foothill, a sprint, has been moved from opening day to the first Monday.

The two stakes for sale graduates - the Barretts Debutante and Barretts Juvenile - have estimated purses of $150,000, the largest prizes of the meeting. Last year, the Debutante was worth $128,600 and the Juvenile was worth $131,600.