(June 14, 2006) - Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel will attempt to win his third Dallas Turf Cup when he starts multiple Brazilian Group 1 winner New Export in Saturday' 10th renewal of the 1 1/8-mile grass event at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas.

The Grade III, $200,000 handicap - run as a graded stakes race for the first time - highlights a busy week at Lone Star Park. On Friday night, The Randy Rogers Band, one of the hottest acts on the Texas country music scene, will perform a concert after the races. This weekend, Lone Star will host its two-day qualifying tournament to the National Handicapping Championship VIII with $10,000 in prizes up for grabs and a trip to the Las Vegas finals in January for the top three finishers. Sunday's Father's Day program will include drawings throughout the day for prizes such as a Calloway driver, Rolex watch and dinner to Bob's Steak & Chop House.

In the Dallas Turf Cup, New Export is expected to be the starting high weight at 116 pounds after an encouraging U.S. debut on April 29. He finished third that day in the Grade III Inglewood Handicap at his home base of Hollywood Park. After getting a stalking inside trip along the rail, the 5-year-old lost a head-bob for second with Artiste Royal and was just 1 ¼ lengths back of gate-to-wire winner Willow O Wisp, who captured his third graded stakes race.

"That was a good effort first time in the U.S.," Frankel said. "He got a good stalking trip down on the inside. This race here looks like a good spot for him to come back."

Frankel, who won the Dallas Turf Cup with Martiniquais in 1999 and El Gran Papa in 2001, has given the riding assignment to Lone Star's leading jockey Cliff Berry.

New Export, owned by Stud TNT and Michael Bello, was campaigned in his native Brazil for the first eight starts of his career. His last two Southern Hemisphere efforts in early 2005 resulted in Group 1 wins - the Gran Premio Estado do Rio de Janeiro (one mile on turf) and Gran Premio Francisco Eduardo de Paula Machado (1 ¼ miles on turf).

"TNT Stud brought him up here and Michael Bello (of Megahertz fame) bought into him," Frankel said. "He's been with me for about six to eight months and we've brought him along. He's a nice horse."

New Export, a winner of three starts and $59,388 in nine outs, will be transported to the Dallas-Fort Worth area on a Thursday flight from Southern California.

Another possibility for the flight is Quasimodo, a winner of four straight from the Julio Canani barn. Canani will discuss the pros and cons of shipping out of town with Ernie Moody of Mercedes Stables on Wednesday. "It's not cheap to fly to Texas," said Canani, who won the 2004 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Lone Star with champion Sweet Catomine. "But I've had some success there, huh?"

One runner certain for the race is top Southwest turfster Waupaca, who recorded a four-length score in the $40,000 Connecting Terms Stakes last month. Entries will be drawn and post positions will be determined Thursday morning.

Yes, Popular Sprinter Boots On Sunday To Make First Start in 3 ½ Years Saturday

The last time popular Texas-based sprinter Boots on Sunday competed on a racetrack gasoline sold for $1.59 a gallon. Some 1,405 days and $1.32 increase later, the 9-year-old gelding is amazingly out of retirement and expected for Saturday's $40,000 Carter McGregor Jr. Memorial Stakes.

It's been more than 3 ½ years since Boots on Sunday was retired due to a minor tendon injury after running fourth in the Folklore Handicap at Louisiana Downs on Aug. 18, 2002. He had won 14 races, including eight stakes, and $417,965 in 35 starts for his late owner and breeder Wilton Scott from 1999-2002. But after treatment, recuperation, life on the farm and a stint as a lead pony, trainer Danny Pish, who now owns Boots on Sunday, surmised that the horse was eager to return to the racetrack for competition.

Boots on Sunday recorded his seventh workout since May on Wednesday morning at Lone Star Park, covering an easy five-eighths of a mile in 1:01 under Pish. On Friday, he posted the fastest of 12 six-furlong workouts with a clocking of 1:12 4/5 with Roman Chapa, his regular rider, in the irons.

Should Boots on Sunday run Saturday (entries will be taken Thursday), it'll also mark the likely comeback of Chapa, who fractured his left collarbone in a May 12 spill. Chapa has ridden "Boots" in all but seven of his races, and the horse, along with Pish, served as a "Best Man" during his 2002 wedding in the Sam Houston Race Park winner's circle.

The last time Lone Star fans saw the popular sprinter in Grand Prairie was in May of 2002 when he finished third in the $100,000 Beck Auto Group Turf Sprint Handicap on Lone Star Million Day. He ran 11 times at Lone Star and never once finished out of the money, winning six of 12 starts, including the Longhorn Sprint and Carter McGregor in 2000.

"He has always been an ideal co-worker, just a real pleasure to work with," said Pish, who allowed his 5-year-old son Joe Dan to ride "Boots" while on the family farm. "He loves to work, loves to do something. Most any job you give him, he likes."

"Boots" served as a lead pony for Pish prior to his return, but the 40-year-old native of Yoakum, Texas noticed something about his old friend - he seemed bored. "He just acted like he wanted to go out and run again. It's like he was bored with his job as a pony and wanted more."

Pish, his wife Sabina and Scott, who passed away last July, occasionally discussed bringing Boots on Sunday back to the races. But when Pish's charge Popped Corn - Boots on Sunday's older half-brother - won convincingly on opening night of Lone Star's Spring Thoroughbred Season in April, he made the final decision to give the comeback a 'go' (note: Popped Corn is one of eight three-time winners at the meeting).

"Longevity seems to be a trait of the family," Pish said. "Every time I've brought 'Boots' out to the racetrack he does things that lead me to believe he wants to run again. So, I started galloping and breezing him. We are just taking it a day at a time and a breeze at a time.

"If all looks good Thursday morning after the work, he'll be in. As you'd expect, he might need a race off the layoff, but you've got to start somewhere."

Pish considers "Boots" a family member and is being extremely cautious about the comeback. "I'm only got to bring him back if he's right, and right now he is," Pish said.

Should Boots on Sunday run in the Carter McGregor, he could face his full-brother Rain On Monday, who is now trained by Steve Asmussen. Do the math: Rain On Monday, a 3-year-old, wasn't even born when Boots on Sunday made his last appearance in a horse race.

Randy Rogers Band in Concert After Races Friday Night

The Randy Rogers Band, one of the hottest acts on the Texas Country music scene, will perform in concert at Lone Star Park on Friday night. General admission is $3 before 9 p.m. and $15 after. The first live race is scheduled to go off at around 6:35 p.m., with the final race scheduled to go off at around 10:47 p.m. Admission gates open at 5 p.m. and the Randy Rogers Band will take the stage after the last race at approximately 11 p.m.

The stage will be situated outdoors between the Grandstand and the Post Time Pavilion, adjacent to the main track. Once in the park there will be no additional fee to watch the concert. Seating is first come, first serve lawn-style seating with no reserved seats. Blankets are permitted outdoors.

The Randy Rogers Band is a local Texas talent that has released three albums to date with the most recent being "Rollarcoaster." One single off the album "Tonight's Not the Night" has entered mass rotation on country radio. "USA Today" rated the album three stars out of four. In 2005 the Randy Rogers Band won "Band of the Year," "Album of the Year," "Song of the Year" and "Songwriter of the Year" at the Gruene with Envy Awards that celebrate Texas musicians.

NTRA/DRF National Handicapping Championship Qualifying Tournament On Tap

The deadline to enter this weekend's Lone Star Park qualifying tournament for the Daily Racing Form/NTRA National Handicapping Championship is Friday. The local handicapping contest will feature $10,000 in prize money on Saturday and Sunday, and the top three finishers will be off to Las Vegas to compete in the national finals in January.

The deadline to enter is Friday, and the entry fee is $250 per person (only $150 for "Star Player Rewards" members). To participate, contact Kristen Foster at (972) 237-1134 or kristenf@lonestarpark.com. The contest will be held in Champions, a private room on the second floor of the Grandstand.

Father's Day Drawings for Rolex, Calloway Driver & Dinner at Bob's

Men 21 and over in attendance at Lone Star Park on Father's Day (Sunday, June 18) will have a chance to win fabulous prizes throughout the racing program. Among the prizes to be distributed in between-race drawings are a Rolex watch (courtesy of VanPeterson Jewelers in Irving, Texas), a Calloway driver and dinner at Bob's Steak & Chop House.

Berry Kicks Five Clear of Hamilton in Race to be Leading Rider

Defending riding champ Cliff Berry won with 10 of 24 starters last week (a 42% win-clip), including a five-win performance on Friday night, to kick five wins clear of 22-year-old Quincy Hamilton in the Lone Star Park jockey standings, 63-to-58. Hamilton won aboard six of his 25 mounts (24%) during Week 9 of the 15-week season. Justin Shepherd rode five winners last week to take over third place in the standings with 32 trips to the winner's circle, one more than Jaime Theriot. Glen Murphy (20 wins), Alfredo Juarez Jr. (19), injured Roman Chapa (17), Richard Eramia (15), apprentice Jorge Guzman (13) and Casey Lambert (13) round out the Top 10.

Calhoun Leads Trainers With Five Wins Last Week

Bret Calhoun won five races from June 8-11, including the colts and geldings division of the TTA Sales Futurity with Be a Resident, to lead all local trainers last week, but still remained third in the Lone Star trainer standings. Nine of Calhoun's 33 wins this season had come with 2-year-olds. Seven-time local training champ Steve Asmussen remained atop the leader board with 41 wins, five more than Cody Autrey (36 wins), who has the highest win-rate among the leaders at 37%. Twenty-seven of Autrey's 36 winners were post time favorites, which tops the colony. Danny Pish (22), Cole Norman (15), John Locke (13), Tommie Morgan (13), Donnie K. Von Hemel (13), Chris Hartman (11) and Mike Stidman (11) complete the Top 10.

Durant On Top of Owner Standings

With victories by Total View and Wild Screen on Friday night, Tom Durant took sole possession of the lead in the Lone Star owner standings with nine wins from 45 starters on the season (a 20% win-clip). Durant was Lone Star's leading owner last year with 18 victories and holds three other local titles: 1998, 2000 and co-leading owner at the 2004 Fall Breeders' Cup Meeting. Sandy and Jerry Heflin are alone in second with eight wins, followed by a tie for third between Charles Fletcher and Carl Moore Management LLC (a two-time winner last week) with seven wins apiece. Four others have six victories this season: Frontier Stables (a two-time winner last week), Heiligbrodt Racing Stable, Pin Oak Stable and Wimp Free Racing Stables.

Popped Corn Becomes Eighth Three-Time Winner This Season

Popped Corn, the 10-year-old gelding who is the older brother of popular sprinter Boots on Sunday, became the eighth horse to win three races at Lone Star Park this season when he prevailed in Sunday's eighth race. The others are Durrymane (3-for-4), Groovy Chief (3-for-3), Peerless Tee (3-for-3), Purely Classic (3-for-3), Silver Thunder (3-for-3), Sleek Flyer (3-for-3) and Sweepingly (3-for-3). Last year, Saf Link set a track record with five wins in five starts in a single Lone Star Park meeting.

Mavericks Game Shown on TVs Throughout Grandstand

Thursday's Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat will air on televisions throughout Lone Star's Grandstand and between live races on the infield JumboTron. Track announcer John Lies also will provide in-game updates throughout the night.

Down The Stretch - The top trainers at Lone Star this season with 2-year-olds are Bret Calhoun (9-for-36), Steve Asmussen (5-for-26), Danny Pish (4-for-21), Tommie Morgan (3-for-11) and Joe Petalino (3-for-9). Leading riders Cliff Berry (8-for-29) and Quincy Hamilton (7-for-27) have done well aboard juveniles, but so has Casey Lambert (5-for-19), who has recorded seven of 11 career Lone Star stakes wins aboard 2-year-olds...Top jockeys on turf at Lone Star this season: Quincy Hamilton (19-for-75), Cliff Berry (10-for-59), Richard Eramia (7-for-53), Jaime Theriot (7-for-49), Alfredo Juarez Jr. (6-for-36), Glen Murphy (6-for-61), Roman Chapa (5-for-34), Ted Gondron (5-for-21) and Justin Shepherd (5-for-53)...Money, money, money: Richard Eramia ($18.30) and Tommie Morgan ($13.60) have the highest average winning payoff among the Top 10 jockeys and trainers, respectively...Highest win-percentage among trainers with at least three wins this season: Danny Duncan (57%, 4-for-7), Donna Gowdy (45%, 5-for-11), Cody Autrey (37%, 36-for-98), Mike Stidham (28%, 11-for-39), Tommie Morgan (27%, 13-for-49), Dallas Keen (26%, 10-for-39), Steve Asmussen (23%, 41-for-176), Chris Hartman (23%, 11-for-47), Bret Calhoun (22%, 33-for-138), Jack Bruner (20%, 9-for-46) and Donnie K. Von Hemel (13-for-66)...King Cone & The Tailgate Philharmonic will perform between live races on Friday night in the Courtyard of Champions from 7-11 p.m. - a warm-up to the Randy Rogers Band...Russ Lowry headlines the Budweiser "True Music" Saturday in the Courtyard from 12-4 p.m...Sunday is Senior Citizen's Day at Lone Star with free admission for patrons 62 and up with proof of identification...Saturday's marquee simulcast races include the Grade I, $750,000 Stephen Foster Handicap, one of six stakes at Churchill Downs. Also on tap that day is the Grade I, $300,000 Ogden Phipps Handicap from Belmont Park and a Hollywood Park stakes doubleheader comprised by the Grade II, $250,000 Californian and Grade III Affirmed Handicap.