Lone Star Park Handicap Receives $100,000 Boost to $400,000; Dallas Turf Cup Elevated to Grade III Race for 2006 Spring Thoroughbred Season
37 Stakes Cumulatively Worth $3.83 Million Highlight Lone Star Park's 10th Annual Meeting That Begins a 66-Date Run From Thursday, April 13 Through Sunday, July 23

The Lone Star Park Handicap received a $100,000 boost to $400,000 and the $200,000 Dallas Turf Cup Handicap was elevated to Grade III status for 2006, two highlights on Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie's 37-race, $3.83 million Spring Thoroughbred Season stakes schedule that was announced on Friday, December 23.

Lone Star - host of the 2004 Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships - will stage its 10th annual Spring Thoroughbred Season over 66 dates in 2006 from April 13 through July 23.

Recognition of the Dallas Turf Cup Handicap by the North American Graded Stakes Committee gives Lone Star five Grade III stakes races for 2006 - the most in its brief history. Graded stakes are the highest caliber of races in the United States. The Dallas Turf Cup, a 1 1/8-mile test for 3-year-olds and up on grass, will be held June 17.

"With the Dallas Turf Cup recognized as our fifth graded stakes race, it's a credit to area horsemen who have consistently improved their stables year after year, as well as our Racing Department and the national outfits that have annually supported our racing program," said Lone Star Park Vice President and General Manager Jeff Greco. "We're committed to the highest quality of racing possible. With an increase of the Lone Star Park Handicap to $400,000, we're optimistic that we can someday land Texas its first Grade II fixture - and maybe even a Grade I."

The other Grade III stakes are the $300,000 Texas Mile on April 29 (3-year-olds and up at one mile); $300,000 Walmac Lone Star Derby on May 13 (one week after the Kentucky Derby for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles); $400,000 Lone Star Park Handicap on May 29 (3-year-olds and up at 1 1/16 miles) and $200,000 WinStar Distaff Handicap on May 29 (fillies and mares, 3-years-old and up, at one mile on turf).

The Lone Star Park Handicap and WinStar Distaff help comprise Lone Star's eighth annual Lone Star Million, Texas' richest day of racing with six stakes cumulatively worth more than $1 million on Memorial Day. Other races on the special holiday racing program are the $150,000 Pin Oak Stud USA Stakes (3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles on turf); the $100,000 Stonerside Stakes (3-year-old fillies at seven furlongs); the $100,000 Beck Auto Group Turf Sprint Handicap (3-year-olds and up at five furlongs on turf); and the $100,000 Valid Expectations Stakes (fillies and mares, 3-years-old and up, at six furlongs).

The Lone Star Million is one of nine multi-stakes days at the action-packed 15-week meeting. Stakes tripleheaders will be held on Texas Mile Day (April 29) and Walmac Lone Star Derby Day (May 13), and the sixth annual Stars of Texas Day returns July 8 with six stakes totaling $525,000 exclusively for Texas-breds and progeny of Texas-based stallions.

2006 THOROUGHBRED SEASON STAKES SCHEDULE (APRIL 13-JULY 23)

Thu., April 13, $50,000 Premiere Stakes, TX 3YO & Up, 1 Mile

Sat., April 15, $75,000 Irving Distaff Handicap, F&M 3YO & Up, 7 ½ Furlongs (T)

Sat., April 22, $40,000 Littlebitlively Stakes, 3YO & Up, 5 Furlongs (T)+

Sat., April 29, $300,000 Texas Mile (Gr. III), 3YO & Up, 1 Mile

Sat., April 29, $75,000 Grand Prairie Turf Challenge, 3YO, 1 Mile (T)

Sat., April 29, $50,000 JEH Stallion Station Stakes, TX F&M 3YO & Up, 6 ½ Furlongs

Fri., May 5, $50,000 Ford Express Stakes, 3YO & Up, 6 Furlongs

Sat., May 6, $50,000 Richland Hills Farm Stakes, 3YO F, 6 Furlongs

Sat., May 6, $40,000 Gold Nugget Stakes, TX 3YO & Up, 7 ½ Furlongs (T)+

Sat., May 13, $300,000 Walmac Lone Star Derby (Gr. III), 3YO, 1 1/16 Miles

Sat., May 13, $125,000 Texas Stallion Stakes (Stymie Div.), 3YO C&G, 1 1/16 Miles

Sat., May 13, $125,000 Texas Stallion Stakes (Got Koko Div.), 3YO F, 1 1/16 Miles

Sat., May 20, $40,000 Connecting Terms Stakes, 3YO & Up, 1 1/16 Miles (T)+

Mon., May 29, $400,000 Lone Star Park Handicap (Gr. III), 3YO & Up, 1 1/16 Miles

Mon., May 29, $200,000 WinStar Distaff Handicap (Gr. III), F&M 3YO & Up, 1 Mile (T)

Mon., May 29, $150,000 Pin Oak Stud USA Stakes, 3YO, 1 1/16 Miles (T)

Mon., May 29, $100,000 Stonerside Stakes, 3YO F, 7 Furlongs

Mon., May 29, $100,000 Beck Auto Group Turf Sprint Handicap, 3YO & Up, 5 Furlongs (T)

Mon., May 29, $100,000 Valid Expectations Stakes, F&M 3YO & Up, 6 Furlongs

Sat., June 3, $40,000 Nevil/Kyocera Stakes, 3YO, 6 Furlongs+

Sat., June 10, $100,000-estimated TTA Sales Futurity (C&G Div.), 2YO C&G, 5 Furlongs

Sat., June 10, $100,000-estimated TTA Sales Futurity (F Div.), 2YO F, 5 Furlongs

Sat., June 17, $200,000 Dallas Turf Cup Handicap (Gr. III), 3YO & Up, 1 1/8 Miles (T)

Sat., June 17, $50,000 Carter McGregor Jr. Memorial Stakes, TX 3YO & Up, 6 Furlongs

Sat., June 24, $50,000 Miller Lite Stakes, F&M 3YO & Up, 5 Furlongs (T)

Sat., July 1, $100,000 Alysheba Breeders' Cup Stakes, 3YO, 1 Mile

Sat., July 1, $75,000 Lone Star Oaks, 3YO F, 1 1/16 Miles (T)

Sat., July 8, $125,000 Texas Stallion Stakes (Staunch Avenger Div.), 2YO C&G, 5 ½ Furlongs

Sat., July 8, $125,000 Texas Stallion Stakes (Pan Zareta Div.), 2YO F, 5 ½ Furlongs

Sat., July 8, $100,000 Assault Stakes, TX 3YO & Up, 1 1/16 Miles

Sat., July 8, $75,000 Allen Bogan Memorial Stakes, TX F&M 3YO & Up, 1 Mile

Sat., July 8, $50,000 Harold V. Goodman Memorial Stakes, TX 3YO, 6 ½ Furlongs

Sat., July 8, $50,000 Valor Farm Stakes, TX 3YO F, 6 Furlongs

Sat., July 15, $40,000 Fresa Stakes, F&M 3YO & Up, 1 1/16 Miles (T)+

Sat., July 22, $50,000 Bob Johnson Memorial Stakes, 3YO & Up, 1 Mile (T)

Sat., July 22, $65,000 Silver Spur Breeders' Cup Stakes, 2YO F, 6 Furlongs

Sun., July 23, $65,000 Middleground Breeders' Cup Stakes, 2YO C&G, 6 Furlongs

+ Restricted Stakes for Non-Winners of Stakes in 2006

DOWN THE STRETCH - The $100,000 Alysheba Breeders' Cup for 3-year-olds on July 1 is now a two-turn affair. Previously, it had been run at six and 6 ½ furlongs, but it is now a one-mile test...The $50,000 Bob Johnson Memorial for 3-year-olds and up on July 22 is now a one-mile turf race. The first nine runnings were on dirt...The $50,000 Richland Hills Farm Stakes, a six-furlong sprint for 3-year-old fillies, was renamed for the sponsor, a Midway, Ky. breeding operation that used to be known as Wafare Farm...

Thirteen stakes cumulatively worth $1.135 million are scheduled for the 7/8-mile turf course, which was home to 28% of Lone Star's 657 Thoroughbred races in 2005...Eight stakes totaling $465,000 are restricted to Texas-breds, while four others cumulatively worth $500,000 are restricted to nominated progeny of Texas-based stallions. Also, another $200,000 is up for grabs in divisions of the TTA Sales Futurity, races restricted to eligible 2-year-olds that passed through Texas sales rings...

Purses for the 2006 Spring Thoroughbred Season are expected to be on par with 2005, according to Greco. Prize money totaled more than $14 million in 2005 and averaged more than $210,000 daily...

Nomination forms for the complete stakes schedule, as well as the first condition book, will be available in the Lone Star Park racing office and at lonestarpark.com after the first of the year. Stall applications will also be available in early January and will be due Wednesday, March 8...Lone Star's stable area for the Spring Thoroughbred Season will open Monday, March 27...Reserved seats for 2006 live racing dates will go on sale Monday, March 13...The Spring Thoroughbred Season will feature live racing five days a week for the first six weeks of the meeting (Wednesday through Sunday through May 20), then just four days a week for the remainder of the meeting (Thursday through Sunday starting May 25). There will be special holiday racing on Monday, May 29 (Memorial Day), Monday, July 3 and Tuesday, July 4 (Independence Day). Because of those holiday programs, there will be no live racing on Thursday, June 1 and Thursday, July 6...

For only the second time ever, Lone Star's main track remains open this winter for training. The cost to stable at Lone Star during the off-season is $4 per stall per day. The track is scheduled to be open for training six days a week (no Sundays) from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Gate workouts will be available after the first of the year...

Lone Star will stage its 32-date Fall Meeting of Champions from Oct. 6 to Dec. 2 in 2006. Racing will be staged for nine weeks every Wednesday through Saturday night. There will be no live racing on Nov. 22 and Nov. 23 due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Lone Star will host the 14th MBNA America Challenge Championships on a date to be determined. This will mark the fourth time that Lone Star has hosted American Quarter Horse racing's star-studded year-end championship that features five Grade 1 events...

Past winners of the Lone Star Park Handicap: Supah Blitz over Crytopgraph in 2005; Yessirgeneralsir over Sonic West in '04; Pie N Burger over Bluesthestandard and Maysville Slew in '03; Congaree over Prince Iroquois in '02; Dixie Dot Com by 7 ¼ lengths in a track record 1:40.53 in '01; Luftikus over Nite Dreamer in 2000; Mocha Express over Littlebitlively in 1999; Mocha Express over Prince of the Mt. in '98; and Connecting Terms over Humble Seven and Isitingood in '97...

Past winners of the Dallas Turf Cup: Sea Dub over Fullbridled in 2005; Maysville Slew over Star Over the Bay and A to the Z in '04; Patrol over Slew The Red in '03; Suances over Our Main Man and Candid Glen in '02; El Gran Papa over Dignitas Dancer in ''01; Gold Nugget over Majestic Jove in 2000; Martiniquais over Special Memories in 1999; Yaqthan in a course record 1:45.54 in '98; and Burbank over Lost Solider in '97...

Past winners of the Texas Mile: High Strike Zone over Supah Blitz in 2005; Kela over Supah Blitz in '04; Bluesthestandard over Bonapaw in '03; Unrullah Bull over Reba's Gold in '02; Dixie Dot Com over Mr Ross in '01; Sir Bear over Lexington Park in 2000; Littlebitlively over Real Quiet in 1999; Littlebitlively over Anet in '98; and Isitingood in a track record 1:34.44 over Spiritbound and Skip Away in '97...

Recent winners of the Walmac Lone Star Derby: Southern Africa over Shamoan and Real Dandy in 2005; Pollard's Vision over Cryptograph in '04; and Dynever over Most Feared in '03...

Recent winners of the WinStar Distaff Handicap: Katdogawn over Valentine Dancer in 2005; Academic Angel in a stakes record 1:35.98 in '04; Eagle Lake over Little Treasure and Magic Mission in '03; Queen of Wilshire over Pleasant State and Blushing Bride in '02.