Lone Star Park
Encyclopedia
Lone Star Park is a horse racing
track located in Grand Prairie
, Texas
.
racing and Quarter Horse
racing. In October 2002, Magna Entertainment Corp.
(MEC), based in Aurora
, Ontario
, leased the facility and acquired the operations. In 2004, it was the site of the Breeders' Cup
. The seating capacity
was temporarily increased for the Breeders' Cup to 50,000 people. Lone Star Park's premier event of the Thoroughbred meeting is Lone Star Million Day, held each Memorial Day
with six stakes races worth just over $1 million.
turf
track, and has accommodations for 1,600 horses across 32 barns. The grandstand has a seating capacity of roughly 8,000 people.
Grade 3:
Restricted stakes:
Ungraded stakes:
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
track located in Grand Prairie
Grand Prairie, Texas
Grand Prairie is a city in Dallas, Ellis, and Tarrant counties in the U.S. state of Texas and is a part of the Mid-Cities region in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Grand Prairie is a suburb of both Dallas and Fort Worth and had a population of 175,396 at the 2010 census.- History :The city of...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
History
Lone Star Park opened in 1997. The track offers separate meets for ThoroughbredThoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
racing and Quarter Horse
American Quarter Horse
The American Quarter Horse is an American breed of horse that excels at sprinting short distances. Its name came from its ability to outdistance other breeds of horses in races of a quarter mile or less; some individuals have been clocked at speeds up to 55 mph...
racing. In October 2002, Magna Entertainment Corp.
Magna International
Magna International Inc. , is an automotive supplier headquartered in Aurora, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's largest automobile parts manufacturer, and one of the country's largest companies. It owns the Magna Steyr automobile production company of Austria....
(MEC), based in Aurora
Aurora, Ontario
Aurora is an affluent town in York Region, approximately 20 km north of Toronto. It is partially situated on the Oak Ridges Moraine, and is a part of the Greater Toronto Area and Golden Horseshoe of Southern Ontario.Many Aurora residents commute to Toronto and surrounding communities.In the...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, leased the facility and acquired the operations. In 2004, it was the site of the Breeders' Cup
Breeders' Cup
The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Thoroughbred horse races, most but not all Grade I, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was a single-day event; starting in 2007, it expanded to two days. The location...
. The seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
was temporarily increased for the Breeders' Cup to 50,000 people. Lone Star Park's premier event of the Thoroughbred meeting is Lone Star Million Day, held each Memorial Day
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War...
with six stakes races worth just over $1 million.
Physical attributes
Lone Star Park covers 315 acres (1.3 km²), and includes a pavilion for simulcasting. The track has a one-mile (1.6 km) dirt oval and a seven-furlongFurlong
A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and U.S. customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to 220 yards, 660 feet, 40 rods, or 10 chains. The exact value of the furlong varies slightly among English-speaking countries....
turf
Grass
Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...
track, and has accommodations for 1,600 horses across 32 barns. The grandstand has a seating capacity of roughly 8,000 people.
TV Personalites
- Dave Appleton (1997–present)
- Rick Lee (1997–present)
- Michael WronaMichael WronaMichael Wrona is an announcer from Australia specializing in thoroughbred horse racing. He is the current race caller at Golden Gate Fields in northern California, and has previously called races at Hollywood Park Racetrack in southern California; Bay Meadows in northern California; Arlington Park...
(2002–2004) - Jon Lies (2005–present)
Racing
The following graded stakes are run at Lone Star Park:Grade 3:
- Lone Star Park HandicapLone Star Park HandicapThe Lone Star Park Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the last week of May at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas. A Grade III event open to horses age three and older, it is contested on dirt over a distance of 11/16 miles .The Lone Star Park Handicap was...
- Texas Mile StakesTexas Mile StakesThe Texas Mile Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually in late April at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas. A Grade III event open to horses age three and older, it is contested on dirt over a distance of one mile ....
- Lone Star DerbyLone Star DerbyThe Lone Star Derby is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas. It is currently an Ungraded stakes race run over a distance of 8.5 furlongs on turf....
- Ouija Board HandicapOuija Board HandicapThe Ouija Board Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually on Memorial Day at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas.A Grade III event since 2003, it is contested on turf over a distance of one mile and is open to fillies and mares, age three and older.Inaugurated in 1997 as the...
- Dallas Turf Cup
Restricted stakes:
- Stallion Stakes (Pan Zareta Division) (R), for two-year-old progeny of stallions standing in Texas, $125,000, 5.5f.
- Texas Stallion Stakes (Staunch Avenger Division) (R), for two-year-old progeny of stallions standing in Texas, colts & gelding, $125,000, 5.5f.
- Assault Stakes (R), for three-year-old and up Texas-bred, $100,000, 8.5f.
- Allen Bogan Memorial Stakes (R), for three-year-old and up, mares and fillies, Texas-bred, $50,000, 8f.
- Harold V. Goodman Memorial Stakes (R), for three-year-olds, Texas-bred, $50,000, 6.5f.
- Valor Farm Stakes (R), for three-year-old fillies, Texas-bred, $50,000, 6f.
Ungraded stakes:
- Lone Star Oaks 1 1/16 mile, three year old fillies, 50,000 purse. Run in June.
- TTA Sales Futurity - 5 furlongs, two year olds, 100,000 purse. Run in June.
- Carter McGregor Jr. Memorial Stakes - Six furlongs, three year olds and up, 50,000 purse. Run in June.
- Nevill/Kyocera Stakes - Five furlongs, three year olds and up, 50,000 purse. Run in June.
- Lone Star Park Turf Sprint Stakes - Five furlongs, three years old and up, 50,000 purse. Run in July.
- Bob Johnson Memorial Stakes - One mile, three year olds and up, 50,000 purse. Run in July.
- Silver Spur Stakes - Six furlongs, two year olds, 100,000 purse. Run in July.
- Middleground Stakes - Six furlongs, two year olds, 100,000 purse. Run in July.
- Richland Hills Stakes - Six furlongs, three year olds, 50,000 purse. Run in April.
- Grand Prairie Turf Challenge Stakes - One mile, three year olds, 50,000 purse. Run in April.
- Irving Distaff Stakes - 7½ furlongs, three year olds and up, 50,000 purse. Run in April.
- JEH Stallion Station Stakes - 6½ furlongs, three year olds and up, 50,000 purse. Run in April.
- Premiere Stakes - One mile, three year olds and up, 50,000 purse. Run in April.