HORSE RACING: Throughbred season opens at Sam Houston Race Park on Friday

A pair of horses run down the stretch of Sam Houston Race Park earlier this week. A pair of horses run down the stretch of Sam Houston Race Park earlier this week. Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close HORSE RACING: Throughbred season opens at Sam Houston Race Park on Friday 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

HOUSTON — Sam Houston Race Park will host opening day for thoroughbred racing at 7 p.m. Friday.

The thoroughbred season will last from Jan. 15-March 8 and feature stakes races every Saturday live at the park.

Opening day will be extra special this year for a patriotic reason at it will also be Military Appreciation Night.

Sam Houston Race Park director of marketing Jamie Nielsen described some of the major events that will happen on the special evening.

“We do have someone to sing the national anthem live. We also have a group to come out and perform the colors,” Nielsen said. “We hope as many people come as possible and support our troops.”

Anyone with a military identification will receive free admission to the park for opening day.

Another major event that will take place soon is the Houston Racing Festival which features the Houston Ladies Classic, the biggest stakes race at Sam Houston Race Park throughout the year.

The winning horse will take home $400,000. The event also benefits Susan G. Komen and will feature a wine tasting. Nielsen called the event, which takes places Jan. 30, “the biggest and richest race in Texas.”

“It brings out the better horses, the better jockeys and the better owners,” Nielsen said. “This makes it a race to watch for the year. We do really well here with that race, but also do well simulcasting that race.”

For those interested in following the sport or even placing down a wager, the park is open daily for simulcasting. The live racing will take place Friday, Saturday, Monday and Tuesday.

Those who do not consistently keep up with racing may have learned that the Texas Racing Commission, which Sam Houston Race Park is governed by, shut down for one day in 2015. The commission is temporarily funding the racing and wagering system, so the park is expected to be fully operating throughout the entire year.

“We are wagering here at the track, whether it’s simulcast or our live races that start this Friday,” Nielsen said.

Once the thoroughbred season finishes, the park will take a short break from live races until March 18 when the quarter horses start competing. For those who do not understand the difference between a thoroughbred and a quarter horse, Nielsen offered a basic explanation.

“The thoroughbreds are the ones you’re watching in the Triple Crown,” Nielsen said. “American Pharaoh is a thoroughbred.

American Pharaoh made history when it became the first horse since Affirmed in 1978 to win the Triple Crown which features the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes.