Sam Houston gets approval for January-April season in 2024
The Texas Racing Commission approved the dates for the 2024 live racing season at Sam Houston Race Park in Wednesday’s meeting in Austin.
The 43-day Thoroughbred meet will get underway on Friday, Jan. 5, with live racing set to start Fridays at 7:30 p.m. EST and Saturday and Sunday cards at 2 p.m. Holiday Monday racing, also at 2 p.m., will take place on Martin Luther King Day and President’s Day. The live Thoroughbred racing season will continue through Sunday, April 7.
Interstate wagering on Sam Houston races continues to be suspended, because Texas has not signed on to the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act. Texas is one of the leading plaintiffs in court action fighting the constitutionality of HISA. As a result, handle at Sam Houston and Lone Star Park has taken a precipitous drop without simulcast wagering being made available across the country.
The Houston Racing Festival highlights the Thoroughbred stakes schedule and will be contested on Saturday, Jan. 27. Inaugurated in 2013, the marquee racing event will be anchored by two Grade 3 races, the $300,000 Houston Ladies Classic and the $200,000 John B. Connally Turf. The $100,000 Bob Bork Texas Turf Mile, $100,000 Bara Lass and $100,000 Groovy Stakes also be contested.
Sam Houston Race Park’s vice president and general manager Bryan Pettigrew, who attended Wednesday’s TRC meeting, said he looked forward to a season filled with quality racing and an enhanced promotions and event schedule.
“Our entire team is excited about the 2024 live racing season,” Pettigrew said. “We have tremendous support from the Texas Thoroughbred Association, Texas Horsemen’s Partnership and the Texas Quarter Horse Association.”
Sam Houston Race Park opened April 24, 1994, as the first racetrack in Texas to have class 1 status. Promotions for racing fans and the celebration of racing and breeding in the Lone Star State will be prominent throughout the upcoming meet.
Pettigrew served as the marketing director for Sam Houston Race Park in the mid ’90s and has a highly respected background in racing and sports and event management.
“When I was previously at Sam Houston, I was able to grow handle and attendance while educating businesses and a newer fan base about the fun, excitement and economic impact of horse racing in Texas,” he said. “To be able to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Sam Houston Race Park will be a thrill for the many breeders, owners, trainers and horseplayers who have been loyal supporters of Texas racing.”
Michael Acton returns as director of racing for the 2024 live racing season including the 25-day Sam Houston Race Park quarter-horse meet, which will run from Friday, April 19, through Saturday, June 15.