Texas gives Retama 32 dates

The Texas Racing Commission on Monday approved a request by Retama Park in San Antonio to run a 32-day meet late this summer and into the fall, according to a spokeswoman for the commission.

The request will allow Retama to run from Sept. 7 until Nov. 17 on a three-day-a-week schedule. Retama, which has not run any Thoroughbred dates so far this year, had earlier asked to run a winter meet in 2008, but the commission denied the request under objections from officials of Sam Houston Race Park.

Last year, Retama said that it did not plan to run a fall meet and instead reached an agreement with Sam Houston to transfer 12 of its race dates to that track, along with $500,000 in purse money. That agreement has been voided because of the dates request, and Sam Houston will return the money to Retama, according to the spokeswoman, Jean Cook.

Retama is currently in the midst of a Quarter Horse meet, which opened on May 4.