Lone Star Park facts for kids
Horses starting out of the gate at Lone Star Park
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| Location | Grand Prairie, Texas |
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| Owned by | Global Gaming Solutions, LLC |
| Date opened | 1997 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse |
Lone Star Park is a fun place in Grand Prairie, Texas, where you can watch exciting horse racing! It's located just half a mile north of Interstate 30 on Belt Line Road.
Lone Star Park has two main racing seasons each year. The first is for Thoroughbred horses, and it usually runs from early April to mid-July. The second season, called the Fall Meeting of Champions, is for Quarter Horses and runs from early September to mid-November. It's a great spot for entertainment and to see amazing horses compete!
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History
In 1992, the people living in Grand Prairie voted to approve a special sales tax. This tax helped to raise money to build a new horse racetrack. Soon after, the city created a group called the Grand Prairie Sports Facilities Development Corp. This group would own the racetrack and then rent it out to a company that would operate it. That's how Lone Star Park came to be!
What Lone Star Park Looks Like
Lone Star Park is a very big place, covering about 315 acres (which is about 1.27 square kilometers). It has a special area called Bar & Book where you can watch horse races happening all over the world on TV screens.
The park has two main tracks for racing:
- A dirt track that is one mile (about 1.6 kilometers) long.
- A grass (turf) track that is seven furlongs long (about 1.4 kilometers).
There are also places for 1,600 horses to stay in 32 different barns. The main building, called the grandstand, is climate-controlled, meaning it's always a comfortable temperature inside. It can seat about 8,000 people, so there's plenty of room for everyone to watch the races!
Horse Racing Events
Lone Star Park is special because it hosts races for many different types of horses, not just Thoroughbreds. About half of the races are set up for other popular horse breeds in Texas.
Thoroughbred Races
Thoroughbreds are known for their speed and endurance. Some of the important races for them include:
- Texas Derby: A Grade 1 race.
- Steve Sexton Mile Stakes: A Grade III race where horses compete for a $300,000 prize over one mile.
Quarter Horse Races
Quarter Horses are famous for their ability to run very fast over short distances. Here are some of their top races:
- Texas Classic Futurity: A Grade I race for two-year-old horses, with an estimated $1,000,000 prize over 400 yards.
- Texas Classic Derby: Another Grade I race for three-year-old horses, with an estimated $400,000 prize over 440 yards.
- Refrigerator Handicap: A Grade I race for older horses, with a $75,000 prize over 440 yards.
- Dash For Cash Futurity: A Grade II race for two-year-olds, with an estimated $450,000 prize over 400 yards.
- Dash For Cash Derby: A Grade III race for three-year-olds, with an estimated $175,000 prize over 440 yards.
Paint and Appaloosa Races
Paint and Appaloosa horses are known for their unique coat patterns. They also have exciting races at Lone Star Park:
- Speedhorse Lone Star Paint and Appaloosa Futurity: A Grade I race for two-year-olds, with an estimated $100,000 prize over 400 yards.
Arabian Horse Races
Arabian horses are one of the oldest horse breeds, known for their beauty and stamina. Lone Star Park hosts several Arabian races:
- Dubai International Arabian Races Texas Open Stakes: A race for older horses over 1 and 1/16 miles, with a $30,000 prize.
- Shadwell Arabian Stallions Texas Distaff Stakes: A race for female horses (fillies and mares) over 8 furlongs, with a $30,000 prize.
Images for kids
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A panoramic photo of Lone Star Park.
32°46′25″N 96°59′11″W / 32.77361°N 96.98639°W
See also
In Spanish: Parque Lone Star para niños
