Los Alamitos cuts back to five stakes for fair meet

Los Alamitos will run five stakes worth a total of $450,000 during its 10-day Los Angeles County Fair meeting Sept. 10-25. Los Alamitos conducted eight stakes worth a total of $775,000 at the corresponding meeting in 2014.

The forthcoming season is two days shorter than last year’s, with racing Sept. 26-27 being conducted at Santa Anita for the opening of that track’s autumn meeting. Officials with Los Alamitos and Santa Anita reached a financial settlement in June on the transfer of those two days.

With a shorter meet, the number of stakes was curtailed and prize money was reduced for the Los Alamitos September meeting.

The stakes program places an emphasis on 2-year-olds, with three $100,000 races for juveniles, beginning with the Contender Stakes at a mile Sept. 13. There are two races at 6 1/2 furlongs for horses offered at any Barretts sale – the Barretts Debutante for fillies on Sept. 19 and Barretts Juvenile for both sexes Sept. 20.

The other stakes are each worth $75,000 – the Beverly Lewis Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at 6 1/2 furlongs on Sept. 10 and the E.B. Johnston Stakes for California-breds at a mile Sept. 12.

Last year, the stakes calendar was led by the $200,000 Los Alamitos Mile, which is not being offered this year.

On the Sept. 25 closing-day program, the track is running a new series of five starter-allowance races at distances ranging from 5 1/2 furlongs to a mile. The races are for horses who have run in claiming races with tags of $8,000, $16,000, and $25,000. The purses of the starter-allowance races will range from $30,000 to $45,000.