Sam Houston Race Park Announces 2007 American Quarter Horse Stakes Schedule

Live American Quarter Horse racing returns to Sam Houston Race Park on Friday, June 29. The 35-day meeting will feature live racing every Friday and Saturday with a 6:00 p.m. post time and Sundays at 1:30 p.m. The 14th American Quarter Horse meeting of the northwest Houston racetrack will conclude on Saturday, September 8, 2007.

Racing Secretary Eric Johnston announced Sam Houston Race Park will offer 29 stakes races with purses in excess of $948,000. One of the highlights of the meeting will be the Texas Summer Showdown, which will take place on Friday, July 27, 2007. This event has grown in prominence each year and four stakes races will be on the evening card with $175,000 in purses for three-year-olds and up. This premier weekend of racing also includes the TQHA Yearling Sale, which takes place in the Sam Houston Race Park Pavilion Centre and continues to grow in stature each year. Last July 320 yearlings passed through the sales ring with total sales in excess of $3,000,000.

“We are pleased to host an annual meeting dedicated to American Quarter Horses,” said Johnston. “The upcoming meeting would not be possible without the continued support of the Texas Quarter Horse Association (TQHA). We are very appreciative of the efforts of Rob Werstler and his staff and look forward to an action-packed season.”

There are several changes to the stakes schedule for the 2007 American Quarter Horse meeting, which will conclude with the finals of the Sam Houston Futurity and Sam Houston Derby on September 7 and 8. Johnston and his staff have also announced plans to shift the popular Hot Summer Nights Starter Series to a new program which will take place on Sunday afternoons. The five-race series for 3-year-olds and upward has been renamed the Any Given Sunday Starter Series. It will begin on Sunday, July 1 and conclude on Sunday, September 2 with a total purses of $69,000. Owners of horses who run a minimum of four legs of the sprint or distance series will earn points and be eligible for $5,000 in bonuses for each division.

“In addition to our stakes schedule, we wanted to create some incentives for Quarter Horses competing at a claiming level to earn bonuses and recognition,” said Johnston. “The shift to Sunday afternoons is something we think both the horsemen and racing fans will enjoy.”

Stall applications are currently being accepted and are due by Friday, May 25, 2007. Horsemen who are interested in running horses at Sam Houston Race Park this summer may contact the Racing Office at 1-800-807-RACE. Stall applications, stakes schedules and condition books are available on the Sam Houston Race Park web site www.shrp.com.

2007 SAM HOUSTON RACE PARK AMERICAN QUARTER HORSE STAKES SCHEDULE

June

June 30 Stephen F. Austin Stakes* $20,000 Added 3 YO & up 350 Yards

July

July 7 Harris County Stakes* $20,000 Added FM 3YO & up 350 Yards
July 14 BOA Texas Challenge Championship-Grade 1 $100,000 Added 3YO & up 440 Yards
  Red Cell Texas Distance Challenge-Grade 3 $18,250 Added 3YO & up 870 Yards
  Bayer Legend Texas Derby Challenge-Grade 3 $40,000 Added 3YO 400 Yards
  Fort Dodge Texas Claiming Challenge $18,000 Added 3YO & up 350 Yards
  John Deere Texas Distaff Challenge-Grade 3 $20,000 Added FM 3YO & up 400 Yards
  TQHA Sires’ Cup Futurity-RG2 $50,000 Added 2YO 350 Yards
July 21 Colors of Texas Paint & Appaloosa Stakes $7,500 Added 3YO & up 400 Yards
July 27 TQHA Summer Showdown      
  Barnmaster Sprint Stakes-RG3 $45,000 Added 3YO & up 250 Yards
  TQHA Starter Stakes $25,000 Added 3YO & up 350 Yards
  Ancira Ford Stakes-RG3 $50,000 Added 3YO & up 400 Yards
  TQHA “550” Stakes-RG3 $45,000 Added 3YO & up 550 Yards
July 28 TQHA Sale Futurity-RG1* $100,000 Added 2 YO 350 Yards

August

August 3 Gulf Coast Paint & Appaloosa Derby $5,000 Added 3YO 350 Yards
  La Perla Paint & Appaloosa Stakes $5,000 Added 2YO 350 Yards
August 4 Woodlands Stakes $15,000 Added 3YO 870 Yards
  Sam Houston Maiden Classic $15,000 Added 3, 4 & 5YO 350 Yards
August 11 TQHA Sires’ Cup Derby-RG3 $25,000 Added 3YO 400 Yards
August 17 Harrisburg Stakes $15,000 Added 3YO & up 550 Yards
August 18 TQHA Sires’ Cup Stakes $15,000 Added 3YO & up 400 Yards
  TQHA Claiming Futurity $20,000 Added 2YO 350 Yards
August 25 Dixie Stallion Stakes Futurity-RG3 $60,000 Added 2YO 350 Yards
August 31 Sam Houston Classic-Grade 2 $50,000 Added 3YO & up 440 Yards

September

September 1 Governors’ Cup Marathon-Grade 3 $35,000 Added 3YO & up 870 Yards
September 2 Sam Houston Distance Derby $15,000 Added 3YO 870 Yards
September 3 Blue Bonnet Stakes $15,000 Added F 3YO 400 Yards
September 7 Sam Houston Futurity-Grade 1 $100,000 Added 2YO 400 Yards
September 8 Sam Houston Derby-Grade 2 $35,000 Added 3YO 440 Yards
  TPHBA Derby-Grade 3 $15,000 Added 3YO 350 Yards
  Colors of Houston Futurity-Grade 2 $15,000 Added 2YO 350 Yards

* Indicates accredited Texas Bred stakes races.

2007 SAM HOUSTON RACE PARK AMERICAN QUARTER HORSE TRIALS

June 29 Trials-Red Cell Texas Distance Challenge-Grade 3
  Trials-Bayer Legend Texas Derby Challenge-Grade 3
  Trials-Fort Dodge Texas Claiming Challenge
  Trials-John Deere Texas Distaff Challenge-Grade 3
June 30 Trials- TQHA Sires’ Cup Futurity-RG2
  Trials-BOA Texas Challenge Championship-Grade 1
July 13 Trials-TQHA Sale Futurity-RG1
July 20 Trials-Sam Houston Maiden Classic
July 28 Trials-TQHA Sires’ Cup Derby-RG 3
August 3 Trials- TQHA Claiming Futurity
August 10 Trials-Dixie Stallion Stakes Futurity-RG 3
August 17 Trials-TPHBA Derby-Grade 3
  Trials-Colors of Houston Futurity-Grade 2
August 24 Trials-Sam Houston Futurity-Grade 1
August 25 Trials-Sam Houston Derby-Grade 2
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