Retama Park: First meet under Pinnacle Entertainment begins Friday

Retama Park near San Antonio opens a 20-date meet for Quarter Horses on Friday night, its first season under Pinnacle Entertainment, the Las Vegas-based company that completed its acquisition of a majority interest in the track on Jan. 30.

In a $22.8 million deal, Pinnacle, which owns River Downs in Ohio and seven casinos in Louisiana, Missouri, and Indiana, acquired a 75.5 percent stake in Retama.

Chris Corrado was appointed vice president and general manager of Retama in April, while Bryan Brown, the track’s longtime chief executive, has been brought on for projects at Pinnacle, according to a release from the company. Corrado previously was the assistant general manager of Belterra Casino Resort and Spa, a Pinnacle property in Indiana.

Retama’s meet for Quarter Horses will run through Aug. 10. The track will conduct racing every Friday and Saturday night, with a regular first post of 6:45 p.m. Central. The first card of the season features 10 races, with Bertha Venation back to defend her title in the $20,000 Selma for fillies and mares.

Retama will run 20 stakes at the meet for Quarter Horses. The main event is the $100,000-added Texas Quarter Horse Association Sales Futurity, a restricted Grade 2 at 350 yards that will share a program with the Grade 3, $75,000-added Retama Park Derby on July 27.

Retama’s meet for Thoroughbreds will open Oct. 4.