L.A. County Fair Will Open Its 50th Racing Season Today at Fairplex Park

The Los Angeles County Fair track, the first in Southern California to offer racing after the parimutuel law was passed in 1933, will begin its 50th season today at Fairplex Park in Pomona.

The fair meeting will run for 18 straight days, through Oct. 2, with 13 races each Monday through Friday and 12 each Saturday and Sunday. Thoroughbreds, quarter horses, Appaloosas and Arabians will compete. First post is at 12:30 p.m.

Satellite betting on the fair will be available at off-track facilities in Del Mar, Indio, Santa Barbara, Lancaster, San Bernardino, Santa Maria and Ventura.

The opening thoroughbred stake today is the $50,000 Foothill for 3-year-olds. The richest stakes are the $100,000 Las Madrinas Handicap Sept. 30, the $100,000 Pomona Derby Oct. 1 and the $150,000 Pomona Invitational Handicap Oct. 2. The estimated $200,000 Breeders Futurity for quarter horses will be run Sept. 25.

Among the thoroughbred jockeys at the meeting will be Corey Black, who has led the standings two straight years. The 19-year-old Black, besides being among the leaders at Del Mar this summer, broke a record at the Orange County Fair in Los Alamitos by riding 36 winners in 17 nights.

Last year, the fair averaged almost 14,000 fans a day and betting reached a record daily average of $2.7 million.