(Wednesday, November 26, 2008) - Lone Star Park’s 2008 Fall Meeting of Champions comes to a conclusion on Saturday, Nov. 29 with the richest race in Texas horse racing, the $1.15 million Texas Classic Futurity, the $384,000 Texas Classic Derby and a great night of giveaways for Fan Appreciation Night.

All fans attending Lone Star Park or the Post Time Pavilion on Saturday, can enter for free to win an iPod Nano, a $200 gas card, $100 or $50 mutuel voucher or one of an assortment of gift cards that are perfect for the holidays.

With Favorite Stolis Winner Injured, Texas Classic Futurity Will Be Wide Open Affair at Lone Star Park on Saturday

With All American Futurity winner Stolis Winner, who qualified with the fastest time in trials, out of the race due to an injured front right ankle, the 16th running of the Grade 1, $1.15 million Texas Classic Futurity for two-year-olds at Lone Star Park on Saturday, Nov. 29 should be a wide open race. Nine other qualifiers will be competing in the 400-yard dash for the largest purse in Texas horse racing, which includes $513,887 for the winner.

Last Friday after getting expert medical advice, Stolis Winner’s trainer Heath Taylor decided that his All American Futurity winner would not run.

“We re-checked the horse and got a second opinion,” explained Taylor. “The horse is very happy, but considering the circumstances, what’s at stake, the quality of the horse and the gifts that he has given us already, it doesn’t make sense to take any chances. It would not be in the best interests of the horse, the owner (Jerry Windham), the industry or the jockey (G.R. Carter, Jr.).

“It’s a disappointment, but under the circumstances we need to give the horse a break,” added Taylor.

With the 6-5 morning line favorite out, the next three fastest qualifiers -- Azoom LP’s Mr Queens Mystery (6-1), Sunset Well Service, Inc.’s Double Chiseled (10-1) and Bobby Cox’s King Brimmerton (4-1) -- will likely vie for favoritism among the bettors. Coincidentally, those three also have the inside three post positions in the same order.

In the trials held at Lone Star Park on Saturday, Nov. 15, Mr. Queens Mystery covered the 400-yard distance in 19.686 seconds to earn a speed index of 99 while defeating Double Chiseled, who finished in 19.689 seconds with the same speed index, by a nose. Trained by Robert Touchet, Mr Queens Mystery will be ridden by Rodrigo Vallejo, while the Jorge Valenzuela-conditioned Double Chiseled will have Esgar Ramirez in the saddle.

Jockey Russel Hadley will ride the John Buchanan-trained King Brimmerton, who won his trial with the fourth best qualifying time of 19.731 for a speed index of 98.

Other trial race winners in the field include Cuz Eye Said, Mighty Corona and First Down Mr Jess.

The field from the rail out, with jockey and morning line odds listed in parenthesis, consists of: Mr Queens Mystery (Rodrigo Vallejo, 6-1), Double Chiseled (Esgar Ramirez, 10-1), King Brimmerton (Russel Hadley, 4-1), Cuz Eye Said (Adalberto Candanosa, 15-1), Mighty Corona (G.R. Carter, Jr., 15-1), Specially Alluring (Manuel Garcia, 20-1), Stolis Winner (Jarrod Deschamp, 6-5), Streakin Six Cartel (Debbie Freeman, 12-1), Thecoloroftheblues (Luis Ramirez, 30-1), and First Down Mr Jess (Gaspar Garcia, 12-1).

The Grade 1, $1.15 million Texas Classic Futurity is scheduled as Saturday’s 11th race on the 12-race closing day card with a scheduled post time of 10:35 p.m.

Trainer Heath Taylor Has Four of 10 Contenders in the $384,000 Texas Classic Derby on Saturday

Lone Star Park’s leading trainer Heath Taylor has four of the 10 qualifiers, including 8-5 morning line favorite Coronas Leaving You, in Saturday night’s 16th running of the 440-yard, $384,000 Texas Classic Derby for three-year-olds at Lone Star Park.

Bob & Jerry Gaston’s Coronas Leaving You, with jockey G.R. Carter, Jr., will be looking for his third straight win at Lone Star Park during the 2008 Fall Meeting of Champions. The three-year-old son of Coronas Cartel won the $20,000, 6666 Handicap here on Oct. 24 as well as his trial for the Derby on Nov. 14.

Besides Coronas Leaving You, who had the second fastest qualifying time of 21.356 (speed index – 102) in the trials, Taylor will also send Ramiro Lopez’s Separatist Baby, Michael Dale Taylor’s Rebas in the House, and Keilani Farms’ Coronas Easy Dash to the post in Saturday’s 10th race scheduled for 10:11 p.m.

The chief competitor to Taylor’s quartet could be the top qualifier, Jesus Huitron’s Easy Dashin Sixes, whose 21.308 second trial run was .046 of a second faster than Coronas Leaving You and earned a speed index of 104. The three-year-old gelding, who finished second in the $100,000 Refrigerator Handicap here on Oct. 4, finished ahead of two others in this field – Separatist Baby and Rock Solid Jess – in his trial. Julian Cantu will be in the saddle.

The field from the rail out, with jockey and morning line odds listed in parenthesis, consists of: Dmnv Mountable (Alex Baldillez, Jr., 10-1), Romancing Mary (J.R. Ramirez, 12-1), Rock Solid Jess (Tad Leggett, 30-1), Quickid Corona (Roy Baldillez, 6-1), Moonshine Memories (Gaspar Garcia, 30-1), Separatist Baby (Jarrod Deschamp, 12-1), Coronas Leaving You (G.R. Carter, Jr., 8-5), Rebas in the House (Gilbert Ortiz, 15-1), Easy Dashin Sixes (Julian Cantu, 5-2), and Coronas Easy Dash (Russel Hadley, 15-1).

Lone Star Park’s 31-day, 2008 Quarter Horse Fall Meeting of Champions will be held from September 26 to November 29. After the opening weekend on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 26-27, racing will be held every Thursday through Saturday in October and each Wednesday through Saturday in November, except Wednesday and Thursday, Nov. 26-27 when there will be no live racing due to the Thanksgiving holiday. First post time for all dates will be 6:35 p.m. For more information, visit the track’s Web site at www.lonestarpark.com.