Stockton meet opens amid optimism

Coming off a strong Humboldt County Fair meet, California Authority of Racing Fairs racing secretary Tom Doutrich is looking forward to the San Joaquin Fair, which opens a six-day meet Friday in Stockton.

Stockton races Fridays through Sundays for the next two weeks.

The Friday card comprises nine races – six for Thoroughbreds, two for Quarter Horses, and one mixed-breed race. Fifty runners were entered in The Thoroughbred races, a healthy average of 8.3 runners per race. The entire card averages 8.2 runners per race.

“Excellent,” Doutrich said of Tuesday’s draw for opening day. “It couldn’t go any better.”

Following the Stockton meet, the 2014 fair racing season will conclude with a two-week meeting at the Big Fresno Fair in Fresno, which begins Oct. 2.

“We’re going to try to build momentum for the final two meets,” said Doutrich.

Doutrich is also looking ahead to 2015. A strong finish will maintain the solid purse schedule for California fair racing. For example, on Friday, $6,250 claimers run for a purse of $13,500 in race 6, starter-allowance horses for $15,000 in race 8, and $3,200 claimers for $9,000 in race 9.

The Ferndale meet showed an increase in ontrack betting that Doutrich attributes to cutting the meet to six days from eight days last year. He is hoping for similar success at Stockton, which cut back to six days last year from eight in 2012.

“We want to hold what we’re doing and build on it,” said Doutrich.

The San Joaquin Fair is not in operation during the Stockton meet, which makes it the only California fair meeting not accompanied by the actual fair. Stockton’s first Asparagus Festival will be held at the fairgrounds in conjunction with the racing.

The meet’s lone stakes, a $50,000-added sprint for 3-year-olds, has been renamed the Stockton Asparagus Stakes and will be run Sept. 27. Doutrich anticipates that several fillies may compete in the race.