At its September 27 meeting, the Texas Racing Commission (TRC) granted 2007 race dates for Texas tracks. The biggest change in the 2007 schedule will be at Retama Park, which will run no Thoroughbred days. Retama Park was awarded 12 Thoroughbred days, which will be transferred to Sam Houston Race Park along with $500,000 from Retama’s Thoroughbred purse account. Sam Houston Race Park will add an additional $500,000 for those 12 days.

The TRC termed 2007 a transition year with the goal of having a significantly revised live racing calendar for 2008. Theoretically, Retama’s traditional fall Thoroughbred meet will shift to a January through March meet in 2008 that will boast significantly higher purses than the track can currently offer. That, of course, will be contingent on being granted those 2008 dates by the TRC in 2007.

Below is a list of the 2007 racing dates for Texas by track:

Gillespie County Fairgrounds – July 7-August 26 (Mixed meet, 8 days)

Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie – April 12-July 29 (Thoroughbreds, 67 days) & October 5-December 1 (Quarter Horses, 32 days)

Manor Downs – February 24-April 22 (Mixed meet, 18 days)

Retama Park – May 4-June 21 (Quarter Horses, 21 days)

Sam Houston Race Park – January 5-April 7 and October 26-December 30 (Thoroughbreds, 81 days total) & June 29-September 8 (Quarter Horses, 35 days)