L.A. County Fair Meet starts at Los Alamitos on Thursday

Los Alamitos picks up Southern California horse racing for the next three weeks with the 12-day L.A. County Fair Meet starting Thursday.

The fair is in Pomona, but it no longer has a race track. Instead, those racing days were awarded to this Los Alamitos meeting. It’s important to note that it is called a Fair Meet because mutuel takeout is higher at the fairs.

For example, takeout, which in cards would be called a rake, is 15.43% at Santa Anita, Del Mar and the two other Los Alamitos meetings. During this period, it is 16.77% for win, place and show instead of 15.43%. Exactas and doubles jump from 22.68% to 24.02% while all but one part of the rest of the exotic wagering goes from 23.68% to 25.02%.

There is a lower 14% takeout on the Players’ Pick 5, a 50-cent wager on the first five races.

All the races are on the dirt as Los Alamitos does not have a turf course.

Racing is Thursday through Sunday with a daily post of 1 p.m.

Los Alamitos will have five stakes races. There will be two stakes this Saturday, the $75,000 Beverly J. Lewis Stakes for 3-year-old fillies going six furlongs and the $75,000 E.B. Johnston Stakes for Cal-breds going a mile.

The second weekend will have the $100,000 Barretts Debutante on Sept. 15 for 2-year-old fillies that were bought at a Barretts sale going 6 1/2 furlongs. On Sept. 16, a new stakes will be added, the $100,000 Los Alamitos Special for horses going 1 1/4 miles.

The final weekend has one stakes. The $100,000 Barretts Juvenile will be Sept. 22 with the same restrictions as the Debutante, except for colts and geldings.

Racing returns to Santa Anita on Sept. 28.

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sports@latimes.com