Houston Racing Festival card has record handle

Sam Houston handled more than $3.2 million on its Houston Racing Festival card of six stakes Sunday, a record for the program, which was established in 2013.

“It certainly went well,” said Frank Hopf, senior director of racing for Sam Houston.

Hopf said approximately $2.9 million was bet by offtrack patrons, while the ontrack crowd of 6,075 wagered more than $383,000 on the card. Both betting categories were records for the Houston Racing Festival.

Hopf said the all-sources handle was the highest for a Sam Houston card since 2003, and it ranks as one of the top 10 highest handle numbers in the 26-year history of the track. He said the record of $5.8 million was set during the Great State Challenge card in 2002.

Lady Apple won the featured Grade 3, $300,000 Houston Ladies Classic on Sunday, while the Grade 3, $200,000 John B. Connally Turf Cup went to Dot Matrix. A new race to the lineup was the $200,000 Texas Turf Mile for 3-year-olds, won by Bodecream. It drew a full field of 12.

“We were pleased with the response trainers had for the race,” Hopf said. “We were very pleased with just the response, and the quality of horse. We certainly are looking forward to the second edition in 2021.”

The Houston Racing Festival was the richest card of the meet, which runs through March 28.