Eight stakes worth $500,000 in total purses will take center stage on
Saturday at Sam Houston as the track plays host to the Texas Champions Day.
The feature race of the day will be the $100,000 Star of Texas S., which has
drawn a field of nine. Entered in the 1 1/16-mile main track test is the 2003
winner, RECORD ASSEMBLY (Record Catch), as well as the stakes-winning sophomores
DREAMSANDVISIONS (Kipling) and DIXIE MEISTER (Holzmeister).
The track will also receive a visit from the 1999 winner of the Star of
Texas, Lightening Ball. The nine-year-old was recently retired and will lead the
post parade for the first Texas Champions Day stakes as well as headline a
silent auction and fundraiser for the LoneStar Outreach to Place Ex-Racers
(LOPE).
“We were told by our trainer, Mike McEachern, that Lightning Ball’s heart was
no longer in it,” owner Bob Orth said. “He has been so good to us and we wanted
to make sure he had a good retirement. We approached Lynn (Rorke Reardon of
LOPE) and she was excited and we hope to raise valuable funds for LOPE and more
importantly, a good home for Lightening Ball. He would make a great pleasure
horse.”
In addition, there will be a silent auction with items including a month of
dressage training with an instructor near Dallas, one month board or layup at a
new facility near Dallas, a pair of season ballet tickets at One World Theatre
near Austin, Texas, and a private tour and wine tasting for 25 people at Haak
Vineyards.
For more information call 281-807-8760 or visit www.srhp.com.