It’s been an exceptional year so far on the horse track — whenever a jockey gets two steps through a rider’s Triple Crown and a filly wins the Preakness, something must be in the stars. Or in the stables.
Colorado, too, has seen its share of good news.
Some 60 years after the state overcame the sanctimonious and legalized horse-track wagering, Arapahoe Park in Aurora will open today for a 13th season.
The season runs through Aug. 9, on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, with a special Memorial Day engagement Monday.
Maybe racing fans are jazzed for a good year. Or maybe people knee-deep in the recession are looking to augment their incomes with a trifecta. Whatever the reason, Arapahoe Park has seen its interest spike.
“We’ve had a more positive response this year,” Arapahoe Park plant manager Bill Powers said. Wyoming and Idaho recently stopped holding live races, and breeders have flooded Colorado looking for races.
“Most of those horsemen are coming down, so we got a bunch of new shooters from up there,” Powers said. “And some new faces from New Mexico, because they just don’t have enough spots.”
The Colorado legislature recently passed Senate Bill 174, which, among other details, would allow off-track- betting on races year-round without simultaneously hosting racing. The bill, which still requires a signature from Gov. Bill Ritter, would be a boon for racing fans in Colorado.
“Requests for stall space are as large as ever,” Powers said of the Aurora track. “From the horsemen’s perspective, it’s as popular as ever. And there’s some anticipation from the dogmen for dog betting to come back.”
Calvin Borel, the jockey who rode longshot Mine That Bird to a stunning win at the Kentucky Derby, then did the same with filly Rachel Alexandra in a memorable win at the Preakness, has spilled an enthusiasm across the country for horse racing.
Arapahoe will respond with several high-stakes races this summer — including the $90,000 Rocky Mountain Futurity on July 12, and the $70,000 Mile High Derby and $100,000 Mile High Futurity on closing day Aug. 9.
“We have a great climate, it’s a great place to be,” Powers said. “People who come up here always want to come back.”
Racing season starts at Arapahoe Park
Opening weekend, today through Monday, is highlighted Sunday with two big races:
Dash for Speed quarter horse stakes
• $15,000, 3-year-olds and up, 330 yards
The Inaugural Stakes
• $20,000 for straight 3-year-olds, 6 furlongs
Summer-long schedule
Season runs through Aug. 9, Friday-Sunday. Some highlights on the quarter horse stakes schedule:
Cherry Creek Futurity, June 14
• $75,000, 2-year-olds, 330 yards
The Rocky Mountain Futurity, July 12
• $90,000, 2-year-olds, 350 yards
Mile High Derby, Aug. 9
• $70,000, 3-year-olds, 400 yards
Mile High Futurity, also Aug. 9
• $100,000, 2-year-olds, 400 yards
AROUND TOWN
Rockies on Memorial Day.
Memorial Day has mostly been kind to the Rockies, who are 10-6 all time on the late May day.
And history may help them recover from a rough 10-game road trip. The club returns to Coors Field for a Monday afternoon game against the Dodgers as winners of four of their past six games on Memorial Day. First pitch goes off at 1:10 p.m., with the game airing on FSN.
The Rockies flailed a year ago on Memorial Day, losing 20-5 in Philadelphia. But they topped the Cardinals 6-2 the last time they hosted the holiday game, in 2007. And when the Rockies last played the Dodgers on Memorial Day, they won 11-10 in 11 innings in L.A.
STAY ON THE COUCH
Wily veterans hit the links.
Some of the biggest names in golf will be in action this weekend in the 70th Senior PGA Championship at Canterbury Golf Club in suburban Cleveland.
Forty-eight of the top 50 money winners on the Champions Tour will be part of the field, including 23 players who have won a total of 41 major championships, led by Tom Watson (eight), Hale Irwin and Nick Price (three each), and Ben Crenshaw, Bernhard Langer, Sandy Lyle, Greg Norman, Mark O’Meara, Fuzzy Zoeller and Dave Stockton (two each).
The youngest players, at 50, include Norman, tour money leader Langer, Tom Lehman, Bob Tway and O’Meara. And Colorado’s Dale Douglass, who won a U.S. Senior Open in 1986, is the oldest player at 73.
The final two rounds air on KUSA-9, Saturday at 1 p.m. and Sunday at 10 a.m.
GET OFF THE COUCH
Racing and more racing.
On the Colorado running schedule, you’re more likely to find a variety of races on Christmas Day than Memorial Day. The annual Bolder Boulder dominates the holiday in May.
So the pickings are slim Monday, the back end of this three-day weekend. Before then, though, there are plenty of options including:
• The Garfield Grumble Mountain Run in Palisade on Saturday will bring out serious trail runners. The 5-mile course over the Garfield Trailhead rises some 2,000 feet in less than 2 miles. It starts at 8 a.m. (970-245-4243).
• Windsor will be the site of Saturday’s Pelican Fest Triathlon. The 800-meter open-water swim, 10-mile bike and 5K run will start in Boardwalk Park at Windsor Town Lake at 8 a.m. (pelicanfest.com).
WHAT WE’D LIKE TO SEE
DU golfers shining.
The University of Denver women’s golf team, which entered this week’s NCAA championship at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Md., ranked No. 13 in the nation, immediately shot up toward the big hitters.
DU led the tournament after Tuesday’s first round, with junior Stephanie Sherlock atop the individual leaderboard. And senior Dawn Shockley rocketed into the top 10 after Wednesday’s second round.
Heading into today’s final round, the Pioneers will need to rally from a fifth-place spot and overcome, among others, top-seeded Arizona State and No. 2 UCLA.
On the individual leaderboard, Sherlock has six strokes to erase to catch the leader, with Shockley two shots behind her.
Overall, DU’s golf team has excelled in recent years. The Pioneers have qualified for three consecutive NCAA tournaments, with a sixth-place finish last year. Elite status is the next step.
