At its meeting on Thursday, August 12, the Texas Racing Commission (TRC) approved race dates for Texas racetracks for 2005. The dates represented a shift back to what has been the more traditional racing schedule in Texas. In order to accomodate the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships scheduled for October 30 at Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie this year, Lone Star Park and Retama Park shifted their 2004 Quarter Horse days to Sam Houston Race Park, which is currently running an extended Quarter Horse meet. The following are the 2005 race dates for Texas:

Gillespie County Fair:
July 2 - August 28, 2005 (8-day mixed meet)

Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie:
April 13 - July 17, 2005 (70-day Thoroughbred meet)
September 30 - November 27, 2005 (33-day Quarter Horse meet)

Manor Downs:
February 26 - April 24, 2005 (18-day mixed meet)

Retama Park:
April 29 - June 19, 2005 (24-day Quarter Horse meet)
August 5 - October 15, 2005 (43-day Thoroughbred meet)

Sam Houston Race Park:
January 7 - April 10, 2005* (Thoroughbred meet)
June 24 - September 11, 2005 (38-day Quarter Horse meet)
October 26 - December 23, 2005* (Thoroughbred meet)

*Total of 84 Thoroughbred days at SHRP in 2005