Quarter Horse meet opens with trials for Sam Houston Maiden Classic

Sam Houston launches its Quarter Horse meet Friday night with 11 trials for the Sam Houston Maiden Classic. The 20-date season will run through May 12. The highlight of the meet is the Grade 2 Sam Houston Futurity on April 28.

Sam Houston will race on Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays. The track introduced Monday afternoon racing for Quarter Horses two years ago, and it has proven to be a good fit, said Frank Hopf, senior director of racing operations for Sam Houston.

“We’ve done well on the Monday afternoons,” he said, noting that handle averaged $500,000 a program on Mondays during the 2017 meet for Quarter Horses.

Sam Houston will again offer a reduced 12 percent takeout on doubles, pick threes, pick fours, and pick fives.

The finals for the Sam Houston Maiden Classic will be run April 14. Other stakes during the meet include the Grade 2 Bank of America Texas Challenge Championship on April 21, with two trials to be run Saturday night. Trials for the Sam Houston Futurity are April 6-7, said Hopf. The Grade 2 Sam Houston Classic runs May 12.