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The L.A. County Fair makes no secret that its goal is to remove stress lines from around the eyes and mouth, sooth that furrowed brow, and replace that harried look with laugh lines and a grin for 18 days each September.
To help achieve that goal, horse racing has added some events to entice some newcomers to racing. Fairplex Park, the home of live thoroughbred horse racing during the annual Fair, is located prominently on Broadway and the message being given to guests is walk in, not walk on by. Horse racing is Sept. 9 through 26, with Tuesdays dark, a Fairtime first.
Loyal bettors and race fans have already discovered the exhilaration of a day at
the track; Fairplex Park would like to expand those numbers and see more visitors drop in and see what all the cheering is about. So track officials are serving up several promotions to entice a visit and see what goes on inside of that austere facade. Enter Monster Mondays, since the L.A. County Fair is closed on Mondays, guests to the racetrack receive free admission and a free racing program; Bingo Bash Wednesday with $5,000 in payouts and Las Vegas getaways as enticement; Poker Tourney Thursdays with Texas Hold ‘Em tournaments; and Aloha Fridays with gifts, upgrades, Island food and entertainment for all in attendance sporting Hawaiian garb. Weekends will also be a time for participation and winning when guests join a $50 free weekend wager program. It’s as easy as filling out the form and waiting for your name to be called after the 11th race. All the above is designed for fun and to create an experience that guests will remember.
You know horse racing has started at Fairplex Park when you hear the distinctive voice of track announcer Trevor Denman with his call to action “and away they go;” when you see track records fall and jockeys and trainers celebrate impressive victories and final stats, and when all is said and done and a monster handle of $108,000,000, like that in 2004, is in the record books. Keep your eyes on the starting gate and the action on the historic 5/8-mile track.
Again 17 stakes races are offered including the $120,000 Barretts Juvenile and Barretts Debutante and the meeting’s signature race, the Ralph M. Hinds Pomona Invitational Handicap. Francisco Paco Mena, a legend in his own right for the riding stats he put up during his stint at Fairplex Park will be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Post times are set for 1 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and at noon on Fridays through Sundays. Visit the Web site at www.lacountyfair.com for more information. The long and rich tradition of horse racing has been alive at Fairplex Park for 67 seasons, come on in – the horse racing is fine at the L.A. County Fair.
The 2005 L.A. County Fair is Sept. 9 through Oct. 2, closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Visit the Web site www.lacountyfair.com for more information. /b.js>
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