(April 7, 2009) - Thursday’s 13th running of the one mile, $50,000 Premiere Stakes, for accredited Texas-bred three-year-olds and upward, highlights a 10-race program and features Heiligbrodt Racing Stable’s stakes winning four-year-old Ablaze With Spirit, trained by Lone Star Park’s all-time leading trainer Steve Asmussen. Ablaze With Spirit will face 11 rivals in a contentious renewal of the Premiere Stakes, which is the first race of the night, with a scheduled post time of 6:35 p.m.
Ablaze with Spirit, a winner in two of 16 career starts for $250,960 in earnings, will break from outermost post 12 in the two-turn, one-mile opening night fixture. Eddie Martin Jr., the all-time leader in Lone Star Park stakes wins with 25, will be aboard the bay son of American Spirit.

"He’s a very nice horse who has been training really well. Hopefully, we’ll get the meet started off the right way," added Asmussen. "Post 12 isn’t where I would have chosen to be, but we’ll see what we can get done from out there."

Local favorite Goosey Moose, second in this event in 2007 and a winner of five of 13 starts over the Lone Star Park main track, and Upstream, two-for-two in 2009, also figure to have their share of supporters in the opening night stakes.

The field from the rail out, with jockey and morning line odds listed in parenthesis, consists of: Super Itron (Alex Jimenez, 30-1); Crook’s Stinger (Bobby Walker Jr., 6-1); Dusty Tunnel (Hiram G. Rivera, 20-1); Dreamsandvisions (Carlos Gonzalez, 12-1); Justaclown (Don Simington, 15-1); Theatrical’s Halo (Kelsi Purcell, 15-1); Windy Lou (Benito Morales, 15-1); Eye Wonder (Jose Figueroa, 8-1); Upstream (Martin Escobar, 5-1); Red Birds Magician (Larry Taylor, 30-1); Goosey Moose (Chris Landeros, 9-2), and Ablaze with Spirit (Eddie Martin Jr., 3-1).

Lone Star Park’s 2009 Spring Thoroughbred Season will run four days a week every Thursday and Friday at 6:35 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 1:35 p.m. starting on April 9. The Lone Star Million Day program on Memorial Day will start at 1:35 p.m. and special twilight programs with post-race holiday fireworks on Friday, July 3 and Saturday, July 4 (Lone Stars & Stripes Fireworks Celebration) will commence at 5 p.m. (All times are Central Time). For more information, visit LoneStarPark.com. Lone Star Park’s 31-day, 2009 Quarter Horse Fall Meeting of Champions will be held from Sept. 25 to Nov. 28.