LOS ALAMITOS SPRING MEET

SPRING THOROUGHBRED MEET BEGINS ON THURSDAY, APRIL 14

   

      The inaugural Spring Thoroughbred meet at Los Alamitos will begin Thursday, April 14.

The 12-day season will continue through Sunday, May 1 with racing conducted on a Thursday-Sunday basis. Post time will be 2 p.m.

The calendar will include a pair of graded stakes – the Grade III, $100,000 Los Angeles, which will be run Saturday, April 16 and the Grade II, $200,000 Great Lady M., which will be offered Saturday, April 23.

A fixture at Hollywood Park until the Inglewood track closed in 2013 and run the last two years at Santa Anita, the Los Angeles is for 3-year-olds & up at 5 ½ furlongs.

The L.A. is part of a stakes doubleheader the first Saturday of the meet along with the $100,000 Bertrando. Restricted to 3-year-olds bred or sired in California, the one-mile race, which was run in July the past two years, was won by 11-1 outsider Magic Mark in 2015.

Captured a year ago by Fantastic Style for owner Kaleem Shah and Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, the Great Lady M. is for fillies & mares – 3-year-olds & up – at 6 ½ furlongs.

Completing the stakes schedule are the $75,000 Surfside (Sunday, April 24) for 3-year-old fillies at six furlongs and the inaugural California Chrome Stakes (Saturday, April 30).

Named in honor of the 2014 Horse of the Year who has called Los Alamitos home since the beginning of his 3-year-old season, the California Chrome is for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles and has a guaranteed purse of $150,000.

Trained by Art Sherman for Perry Martin and Taylor Made Farm, California Chrome recently became the richest horse ($12,532,650 in purse earnings) in North American history with an authoritative victory in the Dubai World Cup March 26.

Track gates – including the Clubhouse and Vessels Club – will open at 9:30 a.m. General parking is free with grandstand admission $3 - $2 for seniors 62 and older.

There will be a Spring Mystery Mutuel Voucher promotion as well as a Stars of Los Alamitos Race Course magnet set giveaway April 16.

 Other giveaways include a Los Alamitos beach towel – to the first 2,500 fans – April 23, a California Chrome T-shirt – to the first 4,000 in attendance – April 30 and an opportunity to win one of eight HD Smart televisions May 1.

There will also be five seats to the 2017 DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas up for grabs in Los Alamitos’ live money contest April 23.

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

Entries for opening day of the Spring meet will be drawn Monday, April 11.