Turf the focus as Santa Rosa opens annual stand

The Sonoma County Fair in Santa Rosa, Calif., is the only track on the fair circuit with a turf course, and when the meet opens on Thursday it will give Northern California trainers their first chance to run horses on grass in nearly two months.

The eight-day meet runs Thursday-Sunday for the next two weeks. Post time on Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays is 1:15 p.m., with post time on Fridays at 2:15.

Among the trainers who are stabling horses at the meet is Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer, who in June was barred from running or stabling horses at Santa Anita and Golden Gate after four of his horses died during racing or training at Santa Anita and two at Golden Gate since Dec. 26. Del Mar also had banned Hollendorfer from racing or stabling there, but a San Diego County judge recently granted Hollendorfer an injunction that allows him to race horses there. Hollendorfer stabled and raced at the recently completed Los Alamitos Race Course meeting.

Horses from Northern California and Southern California began arriving for the Santa Rosa meet when the stables opened Saturday, and the track opened Monday for training.

Racing secretary Bob Moreno said he is looking forward to using the turf course.

“They really look after the course here,” he said. “We will take advantage of the course, particularly in the second week.”

Moreno is also the racing secretary at Los Alamitos, and he said he secured nominations from several Southern California trainers for Saturday’s $50,000 Luther Burbank for fillies and mares going 1 1/16 miles on the turf. The Robert Dupret Derby is the meet’s other stakes. For 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles on the turf, it will be run the second Saturday of the meet, Aug. 10.

Michael Wrona will return to call the races.

There are several promotions for race fans during the meet, including a racing bingo game, the daily win-place-show promotion, and $2 beers until horses take the track for the sixth race if an even-numbered runner wins the fifth race. The annual hat day will be held in conjunction with the Robert Dupret Derby on Aug. 10.

Dennis Miller and Michael Patrick will conduct daily handicapping seminars.

Fair admission, which includes admission to the track, is $15, with seniors being admitted free on Fridays. Reserved seats are $3 and $5, and seating at finish-line tables on the apron is $10. There also is table seating in the grandstand area. Parking prices range from $9 to $15.