LA County Fair meet kicks off Thursday; five stakes scheduled

The Los Angeles County Fair meet at Los Alamitos, a 12-day season that includes racing on a Thursday-Sunday basis, begins this week and continues through Sept. 23. First post time will be 1 p.m. PT.

The three-week meet has five scheduled stakes worth a combined $450,000, with a pair of races for 2-year-olds at 6 ½ furlongs.

Fillies will compete in the $100,000 Barretts Debutante Saturday, Sept. 15, one week before colts and geldings get together in the $100,000 Barretts Juvenile. The races are restricted to horses offered at any Barretts sale.

This week's first Saturday of the meet will feature a stakes doubleheader. Three-year-old fillies will run six furlongs in the $75,000 Beverly J. Lewis Stakes while California-breds – 3-year-olds & up – will contest the $75,000 E.B. Johnston Stakes at one mile.

There is also an addition to the stakes schedule. The $100,000 Los Alamitos Special will be run for the first time Sunday, Sept. 16. The race is for 3-year-olds & up at 1 ¼ miles.

Track gates will open at 9:30 a.m. PT. General parking is free with grandstand admission $3 ($2 for seniors).

The wagering menu includes the Pick Six (with the traditional 70%-30% split), a pair of Pick 4s (races 2-5 and the final four races) as well as the extremely popular Players’ Pick 5 (50-cent minimum wager with a reduced 14% takeout rate offered on the first five races).

In addition to the Barretts Debutante and Juvenile, the Sept. 15 and Sept. 22 programs will feature a live money handicapping contest with as many as six seats available to the 2019 National Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas.