Portland Meadows kicks off meet with stakes triple

Portland Meadows begins its 37-day 2015-16 meet on Sunday with a stakes tripleheader and a new general manager.

The Portland, Ore., track races mostly on Mondays and Tuesdays, with cards Oct. 31 (Breeders’ Cup Saturday) and Sunday, Dec. 27 (Oregon-bred Day). The track will be dark the Mondays of Nov. 2, Dec. 28, and Jan. 18. Post time is noon Pacific. The meet runs through Feb. 9.

Three $9,000 stakes are carded for Sunday: the Frog Lake Handicap for 3-year-olds and up going 5 1/2 furlongs, the Diamond Lake for fillies and mares going 5 1/2 furlongs, and the Directors Handicap for Quarter Horses going 350 yards.

Oregon-bred Day is highlighted by the Bill Wineberg and Janet Wineberg, six-furlong races for 2-year-olds and 2-year-old females, respectively, each worth $15,000. Also scheduled that day are three $12,000 stakes: the six-furlong Lethal Grande Oregon Sprint Championship, the one-mile Hers Stakes for 3-year-old fillies, and the 1 1/16-mile His Stakes for 3-year-old males. Two starter-handicap sprint stakes also will be run.

The $25,000 Portland Mile will be run Jan. 26, along with two $15,000 co-features: the Columbia River at one mile for 3-year-olds and the Portland Distaff at a mile for fillies and mares.

The $25,000 Oregon Derby will be run at one mile on closing day.

Jesse Velasquez will be back to defend his training title after dominating the standings last year with 43 wins. Lisa Baze, who won four races with 11 starters and had eight runners hit the board last year in her first year as a trainer, will be back with 35 head this year. Pat Jarvis is bringing in a string from Canada.

Defending riding champ Leonel Camacho-Flores and last year’s runner-up, Javier Matias, will be back again. Emerald Downs regular Rocco Bowen will join the jockey colony this year.

Karsten Hennze begins his first meet as general manager at Portland Meadows, which is owned by The Stronach Group.

Portland Meadows will offer the ShowVivor online handicapping contest during the meet. The free contest begins Oct. 19. Handicappers choose one horse to hit the board each day of the contest. If the horse fails to finish in the top three, the contestant is eliminated. The last handicapper remaining will win $4,500.