Twenty stakes on tap at Retama Park for 20-night Quarter Horse meet

Retama Park near San Antonio will cram 20 Quarter Horse stakes into its 20-night meet for the breed that opens Friday, with the major offerings the TQHA Sales Futurity that last year was worth $441,790 and the Retama Park Derby, which in 2013 had a purse of $193,600. Retama will race every Friday and Saturday through Aug. 9.

The TQHA Sales Futurity, a restricted Grade 2 race for 2-year-olds bred in Texas, and the Retama Park Derby, for 3-year-olds at 400 yards, will share a card July 26. Toby Keeton, who has a large division of horses at Retama, said he has runners pointing for the trials for the two richest races of the meet. The TQHA trials will be held July 11.

“I’d love to win that bugger three years in a row,” said Keeton, who took last year’s finale with Won To Watch and the 2012 finale with Cash Flow Cartel. “I’ve got three pretty nice colts that I like [at Retama].”

As for Won To Watch, Keeton said she is scheduled to make her 3-year-old debut in the Retama Park Derby trials July 12.

“She’s doing awesome,” said Keeton, who also has a division of horses at Ruidoso Downs.

Retama’s stakes schedule launches Friday night with the $20,000 Selma, a 350-yard race for fillies and mares that drew a field of 10. The program of 10 races begins at 6:45 p.m. Central.

Other highlights of the stakes schedule include the $50,000-added Sires’ Cup Futurity, a restricted Grade 2 on June 28, and the $35,000-added TQHA Classic Stakes, a restricted Grade 3 for 3-year-olds and up July 25.

Chris Corrado is in his second year as vice president and general manager of Retama, while the track’s longtime racing secretary is James Leatherman.