Lone Star wants to open a week later next year
Lone Star Park has asked the Texas Racing Commission for approval to start its Thoroughbred meet a week later in 2022. The track is seeking to race 48 dates, the same as in 2021.
Lone Star would like to open April 28 and race through July 24, said Matt Vance, executive vice president of both Lone Star and its sister track Remington Park.
Vance said Lone Star also is looking to race Thursday through Sunday most weeks, with night racing on Thursday and Friday and afternoon cards on Saturday and Sunday.
Vance said the track also intends to renew Lone Star Million Day, a card of five stakes held Memorial Day. Lone Star brought back the program this past meet for the first time since 2011 and handled $6.3 million, an all-time high for a card at the track outside of its hosting of the Breeders’ Cup in 2004.
“Million Day is definitely ensconced on our calendars,” Vance said. “What we really want to do is add at least one more mega-card day. Ideally, we’d like three mega-card or signature days, like we have at Remington: Oklahoma Derby Day, Oklahoma Classics, and Springboard Mile Day.”
Million Day is one of two major stakes cards at Lone Star. The other is Stars of Texas Day, which this season was held on the penultimate card of the meet July 10. Lone Star opened April 22.