Manor Downs will open its doors and welcome Thoroughbred horses for the first time in its history this weekend. A total of 10 races will be run on Saturday and Sunday beginning at 1:30 p.m. both days. A total of 180 horses entered the races, which settled the much-debated question of whether or not Thoroughbred horsemen would run at Manor Downs.

"I am pleased with the number of horses that are running this weekend at Manor," stated Tommy Azopardi, executive director of the Texas Horsemen's Partnership. He continued, "We know that our horsemen need a place to run some of their Thoroughbreds other than Lone Star Park during this time of year, and that is obvious by the full fields that are running this weekend."

Manor will pay out over $56,000 in average daily purses for the first two days, and the overall daily average is expected to be closer to $58,000 with the Texas-bred money factored into the equation.

Manor Downs' CEO Howard Phillips stated that he was pleased with the way the weekend is shaping up. He said that Manor has put a lot of preparation into making sure the weekend is a success, and he is excited to finally be able run Thoroughbreds in Austin. The Texas Thoroughbred Association will also be on hand to present trophies to the winning owner, trainer and jockey of the first race.