18 May 2015, Aurora, Colorado, USA ~ Horse racing in Colorado is in the midst of a renaissance. With Colorado’s live horse racing season in 2015 scheduled to begin on 22 May, Arapahoe Park is launching the theme of Where Horses Come First to reflect the growth of the Aurora, Colorado track. There will be more coverage of Arapahoe Park’s races, improvements to the fan experience at the track, innovative programs to promote the welfare of horses, and richer races than ever before.

Arapahoe Park will host 39 days of live Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse, and Arabian racing on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays through 16 August. There will also be racing on Memorial Day, 25 May, and Thursdays, 25 June 25 and 30 July.  Post time for the first race each day will be at 1 p.m. No racing will take place from 29 May to 31 May to accommodate the Rocky Mountain Air Show at the Aurora Reservoir.

In 2015, Arapahoe will broadcast a new weekly feature television show about the behind-the-scenes of horse racing and a replay show on the Denver-based network Altitude Sports & Entertainment.  Hosted by announcer Jonathan Horowitz, “Gates Open at Arapahoe Park” will air on Thursdays during the season at 6:30 p.m. starting 21 May and rebroadcast on Fridays at 10 a.m. The feature show will focus on stories and profiles of horses and horsemen. The replay show, “Today at Arapahoe Park,” will air at 10 p.m. after each day’s races and rebroadcast the following morning at 10 a.m.

Arapahoe Park will pioneer a new program in 2015 that ties purses to field sizes. The track will also bring back the Race-Day Medication-Free Incentive program it created in 2014 that rewards trainers who win at Arapahoe Park with a horse void of any race-day medication

Arapahoe Park will feature two $100,000 Thoroughbred races—the Arapahoe Park Classic and the Gold Rush Futurity. Arabians will compete in four graded stakes races during the 39-day season.

Closing day is Sunday, 16 August, and will be the richest day of horse racing in the history of Colorado with the $100,000 Arapahoe Park Classic for Thoroughbreds aged 3-years-old and up at 1 1/8 miles, the $100,000 Gold Rush Futurity for 2-year-old Thoroughbreds at 6 furlongs, the $160,000 Mile High Futurity for 2-year-old Quarter Horses at 400 yards, and the $25,000 Grade 3 COBRA Classic Sponsored by Crow Valley Ranch for Arabians aged 3 years-old and up at 1 1/4 miles.

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