Arlington Park news release
Contact: David Zenner
Dzenner@arlingtonpark.com
$725,000 OVERNIGHT STAKES PROGRAM ANNOUNCED
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. (March 21, 2012) – A schedule of 11 overnight stakes races worth an aggregate $725,000 for the 2012 meet was announced by Arlington Park Director of Racing and Racing Secretary Chris Polzin.
Two Arlington overnight stakes for Arlington Million Day on Aug. 18 will carry a purse of $70,000 each while the remaining nine races each will carry a purse of $65,000.
Polzin has crafted a series of overnight stakes for 3-year-olds on the main track beginning with the King’s Command Stakes at six furlongs on June 16 which will be followed by the Coach Jimi Lee Stakes at seven furlongs on Million Preview Day July 14 and concluding on Arlington Million Day Aug. 18 with the Straight Line Stakes at one mile.
Three-year-old fillies will have two overnight races to serve as preps for the Grade III $150,000 Arlington Oaks which will be run over 1 1/8 miles on July 21. The preps are the Meafara Stakes at 6 ˝ furlongs on June 2 and the Mariah’s Storm at one mile on June 30.
Two-year-olds can prep for the Grade III $150,000 Arlington-Washington Futurity in the seven-furlong Meadowlake Stakes on Aug. 4 while their filly counterparts can use the seven-furlong Lisa M the same day as a prep for the Grade III $150,000 Arlington-Washington Lassie.
The Sea o’Erin, which was last raced in 2009, returns on June 9 as an overnight stakes race at 1 1/16 miles on the turf while the Hatoof, a prep for the Grade III $175,000 Pucker Up Stakes, will again be part of the Million Day card on Aug. 18.
Illinois-owned horses will be featured in a pair of six-furlong main-track Illinois Owners Stakes on Sept. 22.
The complete overnight stakes schedule follows:
| Day/Date |
Race |
Condition |
Distance |
Purse |
| Sat, June 2 |
Meafara Stakes |
3-year-old, f |
6 ˝ Furlongs |
$65,000
|
| Sat, June 9 |
Sea o’Erin Stakes |
3-year-olds & up |
1 1/16 Miles (turf) |
$65,000
|
| Sat, June 16 |
King’s Command Stakes |
3-year-olds |
6 Furlongs |
$65,000
|
| Sat, June 30 |
Mariah’s Storm Stakes |
3-year-old, f |
1 Mile |
$65,000
|
| Sat, July 14 |
Coach Jimi Lee Stakes |
3-year-olds |
7 Furlongs |
$65,000
|
| Sat, August 4 |
Meadowlake Stakes |
2-year-olds |
7 Furlongs |
$65,000
|
| Sat, August 4 |
Top Flight Stakes |
2-year-old, f |
7 Furlongs |
$65,000
|
| Sat, August 18 |
Straight Line Stakes |
3-year-olds |
1 Mile |
$70,000
|
| Sat, August 18 |
Hatoof Stakes |
3-year-old, f |
1 1/16 Miles (turf) |
$70,000
|
| Sat, Sept. 22 |
Addison Cammack Illinois Owners Stakes |
3-year-olds & up, IL-owned |
6 Furlongs |
$65,000
|
| Sat, Sept.22 |
Illinois Owners Stakes |
3-year-olds & up, f&m, IL-owned |
6 Furlongs |
$65,000 |
Arlington Park – the Chicago area’s premier Thoroughbred racetrack located in Arlington Heights, Ill. – will run a 90-day meet in 2012 from Friday, May 4 through Sunday, Sept. 30. Arlington Park, whose parent company is Churchill Downs Incorporated (Nasdaq: CHDN), also operates 11 off-track, simulcast-wagering facilities – Trackside Arlington Park (Arlington Heights), Trackside Chicago, Trackside Quad City Downs (East Moline), Trackside Waukegan, Tavern on North featuring Trackside Villa Park, Shooters Bar & Grill at Don Carter Lanes featuring Trackside Rockford, Fat Sam’s Bar & Grill featuring Trackside OTB in Lockport, Stanley’s Ale House featuring Trackside OTB in South Elgin, Nicolino’s featuring Trackside OTB in McHenry, TADS Sports Bar & Grill featuring Trackside OTB in South Beloit and Salerno-Pincente Ristorante featuring Trackside OTB in Hodgkins. Information on Arlington Park can be found online at www.arlingtonpark.com.
