texas preview night | Horse Racing Free Tips

Live racing returns to Sam Houston Race Park this week after the northwest Houston racetrack and millions of Texans recover from a devastating winter storm. Beginning on Monday, Feb. 15, sub-freezing temperatures created havoc with icy road conditions, power failures and dwindling water pressure which created untold hardships for residents and ground businesses to a halt.

Sam Houston Race Park presented its last Thoroughbred card on Saturday, Feb. 13 before the lack of power, icy track condition and water supply issues left management no choice but to cancel live racing from Feb. 17-20.

The good news is that as of Friday, Feb. 19, temperatures climbed into the 50's and training resumed over the weekend. Highs in the 70's are forecast for this week with racing to resume Wednesday, Feb. 24. Additional races have been added to the Wednesday and Thursday cards and the five Texas Preview Night stakes, originally scheduled for Feb. 20, will run on Saturday, Feb. 27.

Post time for Saturday's 12-race program has been amended with the first race set for 5:40 pm (CT). The five Texas Preview Night features will begin with the $75,000 Two Altazano as race six and continue with the $75,000 Miss Bluebonnet Turf; $75,000 H-Town Stakes; $75,000 Houston Turf and $75,000 Jim's Orbit.

The annual event serves as a preview for Texas Champions Day, which will take place on Saturday, March 20. Purses for each of the seven Champions Day stakes showcasing the established and rising stars of the Texas Thoroughbred industry have been boosted to $100,000 this year.

The post Live Racing Returns To Sam Houston Wednesday; Texas Preview Night Rescheduled For Saturday appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Sam Houston Race Park in Houston, Texas, announced on Sunday that overnight purses have been increased for the remainder of the 2021 Thoroughbred meet. The adjustment will be implemented on Wednesday, Feb. 17 and will continue through the conclusion of the racing season on April 3.

All main track overnight purses will be increased by $7,000 and turf purses will be boosted by $2,000. The increases reflect the strong start of the current meet in which Sam Houston Race Park has seen a handle increase of 40%. This was bolstered by a record-setting handle of $5.3 million on its Houston Racing Festival card on Jan. 31.

Frank Hopf, Sam Houston Race Park's senior director of racing operations, credits the support of horsemen as well the nation's horseplayers, who enjoy the industry-low takeout of 12% on multi-race wagers.

“This increase would not be possible without the ongoing support from our horsemen,” said Hopf. “We welcomed back a solid number of barns and received stall applications from many new outfits this year. Additionally, we had tremendous interest from nationally prominent trainers for our six Houston Racing Festival stakes. Racing fans continue to respond to our racing product and comprehensive wagering menu.”

There will be no changes to the stakes schedule, which offers $2.4 million in purses, up from $1.8 million in 2020. Texas Preview Night is set for Saturday, Feb. 20 with six stakes for Texas-breds. On Texas Champions Day, which will take place on March 20, all seven stakes races on Texas Champions Day have been increased from $75,000 to $100,000.

The 46-day Thoroughbred season, which began on Jan. 8 will conclude on April 3 with live racing each Wednesday and Thursday at 4:00 p.m. CT and Friday and Saturday night card beginning at 6:45 p.m.

Sam Houston Race Park is Houston's premier racing and entertainment facility, located just 15 miles from downtown Houston. The Park offers a variety of attractions including a Suite Level featuring luxurious suites overlooking the racetrack, The Pavilion Centre, and award-winning dining options at the Winner's Circle Restaurant and the Jockey Club. For more information on upcoming live racing, shows, events and tickets, please visit www.shrp.com.

The post Sam Houston Increasing Overnight Purses: All Main Track Races Get $7,000 Boost appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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