Sam Houston Race Park is a horse racing track located in unincorporated northwest

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The park hosts both

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

and

American Quarter Horse The American Quarter Horse, or Quarter Horse, is an American breed of horse that excels at sprinting short distances. Its name is derived from its ability to outrun other horse breeds in races of or less; some have been clocked at speeds up to ...

racing each year. The track strives to be a multi-purpose venue, hosting many festivals and events during its off seasons.

History

Sam Houston opened on April 24, 1994, and was the first Class 1 Horse Racing venue constructed in Texas. It cost approximately $90 million to construct. The Park was considered the fastest growing race track in America based on handle growth and quality of racing program over the past year several years. The Park is named for

Sam Houston Samuel Houston (, ; March 2, 1793 – July 26, 1863) was an American general and statesman who played a prominent role in the Texas Revolution. He served as the first and third president of the Republic of Texas and was one of the first two indi ...

who was an influential general and later president of the Republic of Texas. Kirwin Drouet, the original founder of Sam Houston Race Park, named the Park after him because of his significance to Texas and the fact that the track is located in Houston on Sam Houston Tollway (Beltway 8). Sam Houston bought Valley Race Park, a greyhound track in Harlingen, in 2000. Sam Houston Race Park's largest attendance was recorded on July 4, 2008 with an attendance of 32,177. In August 2017 Sam Houston opened its doors to the equine victims of

Hurricane Harvey Hurricane Harvey was a devastating tropical cyclone that made landfall in Texas and Louisiana in August 2017, causing catastrophic flooding and more than 100 deaths. It is tied with 2005's Hurricane Katrina as the costliest tropical cy ...

. The facility made it through the disaster with little damage and flooding, so they offered refuge to over 200 displaced horses in the Houston area. Their racing barns were empty at the time due to the live racing season having already ended for the year. In 2023, wagering declined 91 percent after they were no longer to export their signal to any other states due to an ongoing fight between HISA and the Texas Racing Commission. Sam Houston Race Park Paddock

Races at Sam Houston

The race track hosts two live race meets annually.

Thoroughbred horse racing Thoroughbred racing is a sport and Horse industry, industry involving the Horse racing, racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter know ...

runs from January through early April.

races are held from late April through early June. The rest of the year the Park is open for

simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of "simultaneous broadcast") is the broadcasting of programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultaneously) ...

racing around the world. The races run the gambit of maiden special weights and claiming to graded stakes and handicaps. Among many others, these are the races Sam Houston Race Park holds each year along with their purses:

Quarter Horse The American Quarter Horse, or Quarter Horse, is an American breed of horse that excels at sprinting short distances. Its name is derived from its ability to outrun other horse breeds in races of or less; some have been clocked at speeds up to . ...

Open: * $100,000 Sam Houston Futurity (G2) 2YO - 330 Yds * $95,000 B.O.A. TX Challenge Championship (G2) 3 & Up - 440 Yds * $50,000 Sam Houston Classic (G2) 3 & Up - 440 Yds * $35,000 Sam Houston Derby (G3) 3YO - 350 Yds * $35,000 John Deere TX Juvenile Challenge (G3) 2YO - 350 Yds * $35,000 Adequan Texas Derby Challenge 3YO - 400 Yds * $25,000 Sam Houston Juvenile Stakes 2YO - 330 Yds * $25,000 Governor's Cup Marathon 3 & Up - 870 Yds * $20,000 Harris County Stakes 3 & Up - 550 Yds Filly/Mare: * $20,000 Miss Sam Houston Stakes F/M 3 & Up - 330 Yds * $22,000 Merial Texas Distaff Challenge F/M 3 & Up - 400 Yds

American Paint Horse The American Paint Horse is a breed of horse that combines both the conformational characteristics of a western riding, western stock horse with a pinto horse, pinto spotting pattern of white and dark equine coat color, coat colors. Developed f ...

* $15,000 Colors of Texas Paint Maturity (G2) 3 & Up - 350 Yds * $15,000 Colors of Houston Paint Juvenile 2YO 300 - Yds

Open: * $200,000 John B. Connally Turf Cup (Listed) 4 & Up * $100,000 Bob Bork Texas Turf Mile 3YO * $75,000 Pulse Power Turf Sprint 4 & Up * $50,000 Sam Houston Sprint Cup 4 & Up * $50,000 Houston Turf Stakes 4 & Up (T) * $50,000 Bucharest Turf Sprint 4 & Up (T) * $50,000 Groovy Stakes 3YO * $50,000 Space City Stakes 3YO * $50,000 Richard King Turf Stakes 4 & Up (T) * $50,000 Spirit of Texas Stakes 4 & Up * $50,000 Star of Texas Stakes 4 & Up * $45,000 Texas Heritage Stakes 3YO (T) * $45,000 Jersey Village Stakes 4 & Up (T) * $30,000 Allen's Landing Stakes 3YO Colt/Gelding: * $75,000 Jim's Orbit Stakes 3YO Filly/Mare: * $400,000 Houston Ladies Classic (G3) F/M 4 & Up (inaugurated in 2013) * $75,000 Two Altazano Stakes F 3YO * $50,000 Houston Distaff F/M 4 & Up (T) * $75,000 Jersey Lilly Turf Stakes F/M 4 & Up (T) * $50,000 San Jacinto Turf Stakes F/M 4 & Up * $50,000 Bara Lass Stakes F 3YO * $45,000 Tomball Stakes F/M 4 & Up (T) Discontinued: * $75,000 Martanza Stakes F 3YO * $45,000 Mission Stakes F/M 4 & Up * $45,000 Sam Houston Oaks F 3YO * $45,000 Fort Bend Country Stakes 3YO * $45,000 Spring Stakes 3YO * $25,000 Texans Juvenile Stakes 2YO * $25,000 Buffalo Bayou Stakes 4 & Up Sam Houston Race Park Finish Line

Arabian The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world. Geographically, the ...

Open: * $45,000 Amethyst Jewel (G1) 4 & Up - 7 F Colt/Gelding: * $30,000 Texas Six Shooter (G2) C/G 4 & Up - 7 F Filly/Mare: * $38,500 Sheikha Mubarack LWC F/M 4 & Up 7 F * $30,000 Texas Yellow Rose (G2) F/M 4 & Up - 7 F

Amenities

Along with the 1-mile dirt track and 7-furlong turf course for the horses, Sam Houston Race Park offers 8 bars, 2 restaurants, Grandstand luxury suites: San Jacinto Suite, Celebration Suite, Director's Suite, Sam Houston Suite, and numerous House Suites. The park contains many concession areas on the Paddock and Club levels.

Events

Concerts

Sam Houston Race Park hosts many concerts throughout each year. Each year the park hosts the ZiegenBock Music Festival, a smaller version of the Lone Star State Jam held in

Austin, TX Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

. A compilation of

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

's finest artists and many of the up-and-coming start of

Texas country music Texas country music (more popularly known just as Texas country or Texas music) is a subgenre of country music from Texas. Texas country is a style of Western music and is often associated with other distinct neighboring styles, including Red D ...

brings thousands out to Sam Houston Race Park each year for the festival. The strong history of concerts at Sam Houston Race Park includes names such as

Gary Allan Gary Allan Herzberg (born December 5, 1967) is an American country music singer. Signed to Decca Records in 1996, he made his country music debut with the release of his single "Her Man (song), Her Man", the lead-off to his gold album, gold-cer ...

, the

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

nominated

Eli Young Band Eli Young Band is an American country music band from Denton, Texas. The band consists of Mike Eli (lead vocals, guitar), James Young (guitar), Jon Jones (bass guitar), and Chris Thompson (drums). They released their self-titled debut album in 2 ...

, Randy Rogers Band,

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor and activist. He was one of the main figures of the outlaw country subgenre that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restr ...

Lynyrd Skynyrd Lynyrd Skynyrd (, ) is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1964. The group originally formed as My Backyard and comprised Ronnie Van Zant (vocals), Gary Rossington (guitar), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Junstrom ...

, and international acts such as

Hadiqa Kiani Hadiqa Kiani (Urdu, ; born 11 August 1972) is a Pakistani singer, songwriter, guitarist, composer, actress, and philanthropist. She has received numerous local and international awards and has also performed at the Royal Albert Hall and The Ke ...

along with many more.

Wiener Dog and Corgi Dog Racing

One of the many light hearted events is the annual Wiener Dog and Corgi Dog Races, a family friendly event. Several races are held throughout the day in between the live horse races. This event is usually held in February for Wiener Dog and May for Corgi Dogs.

Annual Food Truck Festival

A new addition to the park's list of events is the Annual Food Truck Festival which brings together many small business for a day of food and games for families. The food spans several cultures including; Mexican, Cajun, Italian, Greek, Americana, and many more. There is also dessert truck and a craft beer tasting from local breweries available.

Guitars N' Cars Auto Show

Guitars N' Cars Auto Show, presented by the Houston Construction Industry Charities (hosted by Sam Houston Race Park), is an annual car show with live music, food, and guitar vendors. All proceeds from Guitars N' Cars auto show go to help the Houston US Vets program to honor the veterans of Houston.

Camel & Ostrich Races

The annual Camel & Ostrich Races have become a fan favorite, normally held on a Friday and Saturday evening in early March during the Thoroughbred Meet. One race with Ostriches and one race with Camels are held between live horse races on each night. Both Ostriches and Camels carry riders during their races. There is no wagering permitted by law on the Wieners, Camels or Ostriches.

Gallery

South Entrance Sam Houston Race Park.jpg, South Entrance North entrance Sam Houston Race Park.jpg, North entrance Sam Houston Race Park Paddock2.jpg, Paddock with horses getting ready for the next race Sam Houston Race Park Paddock6.jpg, Horses parading in the paddock Sam Houston Race Park Starting Gate.jpg, Starting Gate

References

External links

Sam Houston Race Park Official WebsiteSam Houston Race Park at American Quarter Horse Racing
*Harris County Block Book Maps **Section 1
JPGPDF
**Section 2
JPGPDF
{{Sam Houston, state=collapsed Horse racing venues in Texas Sports venues in Harris County, Texas Sports venues in Houston