Higher purses highlight opening of Lone Star meet

Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas, has some momentum heading into its 44-date meet, which opens Thursday night. Purses have been increased. A recent auction of 2-year-olds at the track proved popular. And horsemen coming off titles at Oaklawn will be active during the new meet.

Lone Star will race through July 22. The meet will be six dates shorter than last season, and while that has played a role in the purse increase, so has strong handle on simulcast racing leading into the Lone Star meet.

“The thing that’s going to resonate most with folks is raising our purses by an average of $2,000 a race,” said Scott Wells, president of Lone Star. “We’ve seen increased simulcast activity. I think the changing of the IRS rules has helped. We have a very robust group of players in the Dallas-Fort Worth area that bets the horses all over the country. I think they’ve noticed that.”

Purses for the meet are projected to average $170,000 a program, according to Bart Lang, the director of racing for Lone Star. The figure is up from the $151,157 the track averaged during the same meet in 2017.

The minimum purse at the meet has been raised to $10,000.

The richest races of the season will again be the Grade 3, $200,000 Steve Sexton Mile on May 6 and the Grade 3, $200,000 Lone Star Park Handicap on May 27. They top an 11-race stakes schedule worth $1 million. Other high points include the Stars of Texas Day program of four stakes worth $300,000 on July 15.

Lone Star last week hosted an auction of young racing prospects that was topped by a $140,000 filly by Bind. The track puts the spotlight on 2-year-old racing, with several overnight and stakes options.

“We’re encouraged by the activity and results of the recent 2-year-olds in training sale, and had really the biggest attendance we’ve had in years,” Wells said. “It speaks well for the enthusiasm in our marketplace.”

Mike Sisk of M & M Racing bought the sales-topper and by week’s end had won the Oaklawn owner title. Cody Autrey, an advisor to Sisk, said the Texas resident will have horses racing this meet at Lone Star.

Steve Asmussen locked up the Oaklawn training title for the ninth time last week and said he again plans to have a division of horses at Lone Star. Asmussen has won 12 training titles at Lone Star and picked up his 10th training title at Sam Houston in March.

Jockey Richard Eramia, who rode the Oaklawn meet that ended Saturday, will be back to defend his Lone Star title against a group of riders that will include Lindey Wade, who is coming off the title at Sam Houston.

Wells said Lone Star has upgraded the track’s simulcast signal to high definition. Wells also said a more aggressive promotional schedule will include exotic-animal exhibition races and showman Bello Nock.

“He’s going to shoot himself out of a cannon,” Wells said. “He’s quite a performer.”

On the track, Supermason will be looking to win the opening night stakes for the third year in a row. The $50,000 Bluebonnet – formerly known as the Premiere – drew a field of 11 when entries were taken Monday. The 6 1/2-furlong stakes is for 3-year-olds and up bred in Texas.

Supermason won his first Premiere in 2016, with a Beyer Speed Figure of 97. For his second win in the race last year, he earned a Beyer of 98.

“We’ve been fortunate he’s been a very sound horse,” said Bret Calhoun, who trains Supermason for Brad Grady. “We’ve freshened him a little bit every year. He’s stayed around for a long time. He’s been sound, healthy, and allowed to point to a certain series of races every year.”

Wade has the mount from post 4.