Live daytime racing comes back to
Los Alamitos
on Friday with an 11-day Fall meeting that runs through September 21. The Fall
meet at Los Alamitos replaces the former Los Angeles County Fair meeting, which
was held at Fairplex Park in Pomona for decades.
The meet will be highlighted by the $200,000 Los Alamitos Mile on Saturday
and a pair of premier juvenile races to be held on September 13-14. The Los
Alamitos Mile for three-year-olds and upward on the dirt, could be used as a
steppingstone for the Breeders’ Cup Classic to be held November 1.
One of the highlights during the opening weekend of the Los Alamitos meet
will be a public viewing of a workout by the highly popular Kentucky Derby and
Preakness winner California Chrome. Racing fans will be invited to view
California Chrome’s workout in between races on Saturday as he continues
preparations towards a return to racing in the Pennsylvania Derby later in
September. California Chrome is schedule to be on the track between the third
and fourth races.
The three-week meeting will feature Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing
with a 2 p.m. (PDT) first post time each racing day. The action will typically
consist of eight to nine Thoroughbred races to be followed by four to five
Quarter Horse races, plus Arabian action. The meet’s opening weekend will
consist of racing on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The other two weeks of the
meet will feature racing on a Thursday through Sunday basis.
The eight-race stakes schedule will feature the 25th running of the $100,000
Barretts Debutante for two-year-old fillies at 6 1/2 furlongs on September 13
and the $100,000 Barretts Juvenile for two-year-old colts and geldings at 6 1/2
furlongs on September 14.
Other stakes events will include the $75,000 E.B. Johnston for
three-year-olds at 6 1/2 furlongs on Friday; the $75,000 Beverly Lewis for
three-year-old fillies at 6 1/2 furlongs on Saturday; and the $75,000 Orange
County for fillies and mares at six furlongs on Sunday.
Closing weekend will feature a pair of stakes races — the $75,000 Katella
for older horses at six furlongs on September 20, and the $75,000 Las Madrinas
for fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles on September 21.
“We’re very excited for the opportunity,” said Brad McKinzie, general manager
of the Los Alamitos Thoroughbred Racing Association. “Our goal is to offer
quality racing featuring the top horsemen in California, and our exciting stakes
schedule promises to showcase many of the outstanding racehorses stabled in
Southern California.”
The Fall meeting is the second of three Thoroughbred meets that Los Alamitos
will play host to in 2014. Los Alamitos hosted the Summer Festival from July
3-13 while the Winter session will be held December 4-21.
Los Alamitos offers free general parking every day, daily $2 grandstand
admission for seniors, and $3 grandstand admission. Every patron with a paid
admission will also receive a complimentary voucher good for free admission at
the Los Angeles County Fair in Pomona while supplies last.
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