Sam Houston

Pending the approval of the Texas Racing Commission (TXRC) in December, Sam Houston Race Park will kick off its 2025 live racing season on Friday, Jan. 3 and will conclude on Apr. 6. Stall applications for the upcoming Thoroughbred meet are due by Friday, Nov. 1 and can be accessed on the Sam Houston Race Park website or by contacting racing secretary Mike Acton at mike.acton@pennentertainment.com or (281) 807-8780. The Sam Houston Race Park barn area will open on Monday, Dec. 2 with training hours set to commence on Tuesday,...

Live racing at Parx was cancelled Monday. Temperatures in the Philadelphia area hovered in the upper 20's during the day with forecasted snow expected by the afternoon. Sam Houston Race Park also cancelled its Monday card due to inclement weather conditions. Live racing is expected to return at Parx Tuesday and at Sam Houston on Friday.

One of the five Texas Preview Stakes on Saturday, Feb. 17 has been renamed to honor executive David E. Hooper, who passed away May 29 following a battle with cancer, Sam Houston Race Park said in a release Wednesday. The 88-year-old had an extensive career in the horse racing industry, which included serving as executive director of the Texas Thoroughbred Association from 1997-2012. Hooper held several regulatory positions, including executive secretary of the Illinois Racing Board and he was a steward in eight states. In 2018, he was the recipient...

Veteran racing official Mike Acton has been hired as Sam Houston Race Park's track's Racing Secretary. He assumed the role on Feb. 3 and will serve in the same capacity at Retama Park and Zia Park during their respective meets this year. "Mike is an experienced racing professional who has deep connections in our region that will serve the industry well," Sam Houston Vice President and General Manager Dwight Berube said. Acton most recently served as the Racing Secretary at both Remington Park and Lone Star Park. "I am going...

The Congressional amendment to the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) at the end of last year--affording the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) more rule-making governance--has not yielded a pause on the legal maneuverings surrounding the law. Already this year, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals denied a motion by the HISA Authority for that court to vacate its recent opinion that HISA is unconstitutional, and instead sent two different cases back down to the district court level. In response, the Texas Racing Commission--which has so far barred the federal law...

Despite previously announcing that interstate simulcast wagering would resume Friday, Feb. 3, Sam Houston released a statement Friday morning postponing it. "We have determined that more time is needed to fully evaluate the many legal complexities surrounding recent court decisions and the HISA amendment enacted by Congress at the end of last year," the statement read. "While we are eager to export our signal across the country, our commitment to maintaining federal and state compliance remains our top priority. We will export our signal across state lines when we are...

Live racing returns to Sam Houston Race Park Friday, Jan. 6, 2023 with several changes planned for its 43-day Thoroughbred meet. The Thoroughbred meet will feature afternoon racing on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 1:00 p.m. CST. Holiday Monday racing, also at 1:00 p.m., will take place on Martin Luther King Day and President's Day. The Houston Racing Festival highlights the stakes schedule and will be contested Saturday, Jan. 28 with a 1:00 p.m. first post. The 2023 edition will offer five stakes races, anchored by the $300,000 GIII Houston...

Edited Press Release During Wednesday's meeting of the Texas Racing Commission meeting, Sam Houston Park General Manager Dwight Berube confirmed that the Houston-area track will apply for 43 live race dates in 2023, beginning Jan. 6, 2023. The 2023 Texas live racing schedule will be similar to 2022, as Lone Star Park has already applied for 48 days. While plans for the overall stakes program have not been finalized, the 2023 race meet at Sam Houston will feature the inaugural running of the $100,000 Texas Thoroughbred Association Derby and Oaks...

Nick Tammaro has been known in public handicapping and tournament circles for nearly a decade now, having proven his sharp opinion on the New York Racing Association's Talking Horses pre-race handicapping show and in contest spots as prominent as the Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge. But Tammaro took on what he calls the "biggest professional challenge" of his life earlier this year at his hometown track, Sam Houston Race Park, when he started his first job as a full-time racecaller. Tammaro just wrapped up his first Thoroughbred meet as the announcer...

Sam Houston Race Park has named industry veteran Bart Lang as its new Director of Racing. Lang will oversee the racing operations for Sam Houston Race Park, Retama Park in Selma, Texas and Zia Park in Hobbs, New Mexico. Each of the three racetracks are owned by Penn National Gaming. Inc. Born in Timonium, Maryland, Lang's first job was working for Bonita Farm, grooming, hot walking and learning the essentials of horse care and training from the highly respected Boniface family. He had tenures in the racing offices of Oaklawn...

Jockey Stewart Elliott picked up his second leading rider title at Sam Houston Race Park as the meet wrapped up its 50-day stand Saturday. Elliott had the support of trainer Steve Asmussen, riding first call for the Hall of Fame conditioner as he piloted 296 mounts, winning 62 races with earnings of $1,490,006. The successful union between Elliott and Asmussen began in Houston two years ago and has continued at Lone Star Park and Remington Park. "I have to thank Steve Asmussen and all the owners and trainers who gave...

The Texas Thoroughbred Association's 2022 Texas Summer Yearling Sale will be held Aug. 29, the TTA announced Monday. The sale, co-presented by Lone Star Park, will be held at the sale pavilion at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas. "After the results of our 2021 yearling sale, we have a lot to look forward to with the 2022 Texas Summer Yearling Sale," TTA Sales Director Foster Bridewell said. "The yearling market in Texas in 2021 was strong, thanks to our consignors, who brought quality physicals and pedigree to our...