Sam Houston Race Park

HOT SPRINGS, Ark.--The idea was a simple one. Place a bell in the Larry Snyder Winner's Circle at Oaklawn and any winning owner, trainer or jockey who wants to make a $100 donation to the Arkansas Thoroughbred Retirement Program and Rehabilitation Foundation gets to ring it. The 'Ring the Bell' seed was planted at an Arkansas Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (HBPA) meeting over four years ago when trainer and board member Ron Moquett posed the idea as he is prone to do. "Ron [Moquett] has about 10 ideas every...

Steve Asmussen, Stewart Elliott and owner Richard Chandler lead their respective divisions at the conclusion of the 42-day meet at Sam Houston Race Park that wrapped up Sunday. Asmussen won his 17th training title at the northwest Houston racetrack. He was honored as top trainer here in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005; 2014 -2025. Asmussen started 210 runners, finishing with a record of 41 wins, 39 seconds, 24 thirds and earnings of $1,309,988. He added a record-setting sixth victory in Grade 3, $300, Houston Ladies Classic with Winchell Thoroughbred, LLC's...

Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance will be on-site at Sam Houston Race Park on Saturday, Mar. 22 for Texas Champions Day. As a supporter of Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, Sam Houston Race Park will showcase and raise awareness for accredited aftercare throughout the entirety of the race day and race meet. "We are very excited to host Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and their VIP guests for Texas Champions Day," said Bryan Pettigrew, Vice President & General Manager of Texas Racing Operations, Sam Houston Park. "As supporters of accredited aftercare, we are honored to highlight...

Despite a state auditor's report last summer which found major discrepancies with Texas Racing Commission record-keeping practices, during a scheduled meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 12, the horse racing regulator voted 5-1 to temporarily allow the state breed registries to access their portion of the Horse Industry Escrow Account (HIEA) to channel money to purses. For Thoroughbreds, that means that requests by organizations like the Texas Thoroughbred Association (TTA) will be able to contribute to the current Sam Houston Race Park meeting's purse structure. However, the commission has not sanctioned the...

The English polymath John Ruskin, who was always hard at work scribbling a well-timed observation for some future generation to co-opt, said when it came to the weather, "Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather." Well, bully for you Mr. Ruskin! Send him a going stick and put him to work on the nearest turf course. Some might care to offer quite a different observation after recent events. What...

Sam Houston Race Park, whose Thoroughbred meet just started at the beginning of this month, is rolling out a new partnership with the Texas Thoroughbred Association (TTA) and The Paddock Foundation on Ring The Bell for Thoroughbred Aftercare, the track said in a release on Sunday. Each live racing day, owners and trainers are invited to donate a portion of their purse winnings to The Paddock Foundation, the official aftercare program of the TTA. Fans can also get involved by filling out a form in the winner's circle and handing...

A total of 22 stakes with purses totaling $2.5 million will take place throughout the 42-day Thoroughbred meet at Sam Houston Race Park, which begins its 31st live racing season Friday, Jan. 3. The annual Houston Racing Festival is set for Saturday, Jan. 25, with five stakes, anchored by the GIII Houston Ladies Classic and the GIII John B. Connally Turf. "We are committed to presenting an exciting racing season and engaging horseplayers, no matter their level of experience," said Bryan Pettigrew, Sam Houston Race Park's Vice President and General...

Sam Houston Race Park concluded its 43-day Thoroughbred live racing season Sunday, Apr. 7. Heading the training ranks this season, Steve Asmussen notched his 16th title after receiving the honor in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005; 2014 -2024. Asmussen started 249 runners, finishing with a record of 48 wins, 36 seconds, 31 thirds and earnings of $1,260,342. R. Caldwell was second in the standings with 28 victories. Trainer Ronnie Cravens won 22 races and Sarah Davidson rounded out the top four conditioners with 19 winners. Jockey Stewart Elliott held off...

Named for the owner, an immigrant from Scotland who realized a Carnegie-kind of American Dream, it began as a 12-furlong turf race. Five years later in 1964 it was cut back to nine and moved to the dirt. The roll call of Donn H. winners through 2016 at Gulfstream Park reflects a roster of unique equine and human personalities, which is peppered with some magnificent performances that shouldn't be forgotten. Hall of Fame jockey Braulio Baeza won his first of three victories in 1969 aboard Funny Fellow and took home...

One of the five Texas Preview Stakes on Saturday, Feb. 17 has been renamed to honor executive David E. Hooper, who passed away May 29 following a battle with cancer, Sam Houston Race Park said in a release Wednesday. The 88-year-old had an extensive career in the horse racing industry, which included serving as executive director of the Texas Thoroughbred Association from 1997-2012. Hooper held several regulatory positions, including executive secretary of the Illinois Racing Board and he was a steward in eight states. In 2018, he was the recipient...

The Texas Racing Commission has approved the dates for the 2024 racing season at Sam Houston Race Park. The 43-day Thoroughbred meeting will open Saturday, Jan. 5, 2024, with a first post of 6:30 p.m. CT on Fridays and at 1 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. The Houston Racing Festival is set for Saturday, Jan. 27 and features five stakes races, including the two biggest races of the year, the $300,000 GIII Houston Ladies' Classic and the $200,000 GIII John B. Connolly Turf. The program will also feature a trio...

A new purse structure, approved by the Texas Thoroughbred Association, Texas Horsemen's Partnership, Sam Houston Race Park and Lone Star Park, will increase minimum purses for maiden special weight and allowance races. For 2024, Texas-bred maiden special weight and allowance races will carry a minimum purse of $40,000 at Sam Houston and Lone Star Park. This is being accomplished by reconfiguring the allocation of funds provided by the TTA to the tracks from the Texas Horse Industry Escrow Account (HIEA). The minimum purse of $40,000 for these races is a...