Arlington kicks off 2013 meet

Arlington opens its doors for the 2013 season on Friday, with first post for

the 10-race opening day program at 3 p.m. (CDT).

General admission on opening day is free. The 89-day season continues through

September 29, with live racing conducted on a four-day per week schedule. In May

and June, Arlington will be open for live racing every Wednesday, Saturday and

Sunday with a post time of 1 p.m. and every Friday with a first post of 3 p.m.

There will be a special 12:15 p.m. post time on Saturday for the Kentucky

Derby Day program and there will be a holiday racing program on Memorial Day,

May 27, beginning at 1 p.m.

Once the calendar flips to July, Arlington's schedule will change to a

Thursday-Sunday schedule with the first race slated for 1 p.m. on Thursday,

Saturday and Sunday, and 3 p.m. on Fridays through August and 2 p.m. in

September.

In addition to the 10-race card on opening day, the first 5,000 guests will

receive a coupon for a hot dog and their choice of beer or soda for just 50

cents. The day's festivities will also include the simulcast of the Kentucky

Oaks from Churchill Downs, as well as advanced wagering on the next day's

Kentucky Derby.

Fans of high-quality turf racing will want to make plans at Arlington on July

13 for Million Preview Day, and again on August 17 for the Arlington Million and

International Festival of Racing.

On Million Preview Day, the track will present four Grade 3 turf races -- the

$200,000 Arlington Handicap, the $200,000 Modesty Handicap, the $200,000

American Derby and the $150,000 Stars and Stripes -- which will serve as prep

races for the International Festival of Racing five weeks later.

In addition to the Grade 1 Arlington Million, the International Festival of

Racing includes the Grade 1, $750,000 Beverly D., Grade 1, $500,000 Secretariat

and the $400,000 American St. Leger.

In all, Arlington International will present 25 stakes races, 15 of which are

graded, worth more than $5.5 million.

Other major stakes days include May 25, featuring a trio of Grade 3 races --

the $150,000 Arlington Classic, the $150,000 Arlington Matron and the $150,000

Hanshin Cup. Each of the first three Saturdays in June will feature a pair of

$100,000 stakes races for Illinois-bred horses; and September 7, when

two-year-olds will be featured in the Grade 3, $150,000 Arlington-Washington

Futurity and the $100,000 Arlington-Washington Lassie.

Returning wagers with a low 15 percent takeout rate are the 50-cent Pick 5

and the $1 Jackpot High 5, which last year returned an Arlington record payoff

of more than $1.1 million when it was finally solved for the first time on the

23rd day of the meet.

Offering a 15 percent takeout rate for the first time in 2013 are the $1 Pick

6, which will cover the final six races daily, and the all-new 10-cent Jackpot

Pick 9.

Like the Jackpot High 5, the entire carryover pool (plus 50 percent of that

day's net pool) on the Jackpot Pick 9 will only be paid out when there is a

single winning ticket sold that correctly selects the official winners in the

designated Pick 9 races with 50 percent of the day's net pool being split

amongst those ticket holders with eight of nine winners. If there are multiple

tickets sold that correctly select the official winners in the designated Pick 9

races, then 50 percent of the daily Jackpot Pick 9 pool will be distributed

among those ticket holders and 50 percent of the daily pool will be carried over

to the next day.

Fans can get free Ultimate Past Performances for each Early Pick 4 at

Arlington courtesy of

Brisnet.com, the Internet's largest horse racing information service. The

Brisnet.com Early Pick Four starts on Race 2 every day. To download your free

Early Pick Four past performances, visit

ArlingtonPark.com to

access the link.

TwinSpires.com will

be the title sponsor each day's Late Pick 4, which will cover the day's final

four races. Every Wednesday in May and June, the TwinSpires.com Late Pick 4 will

have a $40,000 guaranteed pool so long as there are at least six betting

interests in each race in the sequence and that all turf races in the sequence

remain on the turf at the time the wager closes.

Information on Arlington can be

found online at

www.arlingtonpark.com, on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/arlingtonpark and

www.facebook.com/tracksideotb, and on

Twitter at

@Arlington_Park for the latest happenings,

@arlingtonracing

for the latest racing news and

@tracksideotb for

all things pertaining to off-track wagering.

Bet Horseracing Free Online at TwinSpires.com