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Saturday, April 19, 1997

Lone Star Park Has Boffo Opener

By DENNE H. FREEMAN

Associated Press

GRAND PRAIRIE - Early reviews indicate Lone Star Park may be a big winner.

The new $96 million track had the finest opening day in Texas thoroughbred racing history for a Class I facility.

Lone Star announced an attendance of 21,754 and an on-track handle of $1,435,274. The total handle including simulcast wagers on its races from 179 outlets was $2,731,892.

This compares to the attendance at Retama's opener in 1995 of 29,631 fans with an on-track handle of $705,712 and a total handle of $1,611,539.

In 1994, Sam Houston started with 16,568 fans and a handle of $1,281.157. There was no off-track handle.

Tiny Trinity Meadows started in 1991 with an estimated 14,000 in attendance with a live handle of $753,471 and no off-track.

"It was a great opening day," said track general manager Corey Johnson. "We would only dream we would do this well. It shows there is a lot of interest. It feels good to see the patrons respond to your product like this."

Johnson said officials didn't know what to expect for the program on Thursday which started with a 45-to-1 shot I Are Sharp winning the first race.

"That was a crazy way to start with the longest odds horse winning," Johnson said. "We weren't sure what kind of crowd we would get. We didn't want to get overwhelmed because we wanted to be sure we could provide first class service for those who came. If we would have had 12,000 we would have been pleased. You can imagine how we felt for a crowd over 20,000. In a way, we were glad it wasn't more."

Some 40,000 fans could actually squeeze into Lone Star Park which has a wide, spacious grandstand area and plenty of parking.

A good test of traffic flow and facilities could come on Sunday when the Kentucky Derby prep for 3-year-olds Lone Star Derby will be run and televised nationally by ESPN.

"With good weather, we should have big weekend crowds particularly on Sunday," Johnson said. "We have a few small bugs in our operation but things went pretty well. We had been planning for this for three years."

Lone Star will race into November with its 73-day program.

The track is a hit with the people in the horse business.

Trainer K. C. Wojciechowski, who saddled the winner of the first race, said the racing surface might be the best in the business.

"It's one of the kindest and most forgiving surfaces I've been on in years," she said. "The cushion is springy."Send a Letter to the Editor about This Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story
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