Ellis Park begins its 82nd season of racing on Wednesday. The track, which is
located north of the Ohio River near Henderson, Kentucky, is affectionately known
as “The Pea Patch,” because of the crop of soybeans grown each summer in the
infield. The 41-day meet continues through Labor Day, September 5. Mondays and
Tuesdays will be dark, with the exception of closing day.
The highlight of the meet will take place on August 20 with the inaugural
“Big Four Stakes Saturday,” featuring the track’s signature race, the
$150,000 Gardenia H. (G3) for fillies and mares. The 24th edition of the
Gardenia, which had been previously run at 1 1/8 miles, will be decided this year at one mile.
The big day also includes the $100,000 Ellis Park Breeders’ Cup Turf, a new
event that will be run at 1 1/16 miles on the grass, and the track’s two major
races for two-year-olds: the $75,000 James C.
Ellis Juvenile and $75,000 Anna M. Fisher Debutante, both at seven furlongs.
“We’ve made some adjustments in the Ellis Park stakes schedule for 2005, but
we’re very pleased with the quality and variety offered in our races and we hope
that the new ‘Big Four Stakes Saturday’ will become an even more important and
attractive day of racing for fans in the Tri-State region and to simulcast fans
across North America,” Ellis Park Racing Secretary Doug Bredar said.
Saturday’s $75,000 H.B.P.A. H. is the first black-type event on the schedule.
The race, which had previously been run at one mile on the main track, will be
contested this year at one mile on the turf. The $75,000 Tri-State H. at 1 1/16
miles on the turf concludes the meet on Labor Day. Overall, Ellis Park will
offer 10 stakes races worth $850,000.
Ellis Park will distribute $10,000 in bonus money to trainers who have the
highest number of starts at the meet. In addition, the track will offer 10-cent
superfectas.