Horses in Saturday’s 5½-furlong race find high gear during the inaugural day of the 2015 racing season at the Gillespie County Fair Grounds. Racing fans saw 22 races over two days and wagered more than $311,000. See pages A/B12 and A/B18 of this week's newspaper for more photos and results. – Standard-Radio Post/Ken Esten Cooke
A “good crowd with good races” kicked off the 2015 live pari-mutuel racing season at the Gillespie County Fair Grounds on Saturday and Sunday.
The July Fourth Racing Festival at the Class III track drew 5,247 fans, including 3,410 on Saturday and 1,837 on Sunday.
Over the two days, the fans wagered $311,178 on 22 races, which included $159,673 on 10 races on Saturday and $151,505 on 12 races on Sunday.
The payout to bettors totaled $242,801, which included $124,915 on Saturday and $117,886 on Sunday.
“The crowd was exceptional on Saturday,” said Lee DeLong, vice president of the board of directors of the sponsoring Gillespie County Fair and Festivals Association and general manager of the track this season.
He said that there were some “first day bugs” that they got worked out by Sunday.
“One of the problems we have,” he said, “is that the first day we run is also one of the busiest of the season. Everyone — the bettors and the tellers — have to get back in the routine.”
“Thanks to all who came out this past weekend and we hope we have your support at our next three race meets and our other summer events,” DeLong said.
Next on the schedule is the Night In Old Fredericksburg Race Meet on July 18-19, the Gillespie County Race Meet, Aug. 8-9, and the Gillespie County Fair, Aug. 22-23.
Special events include Night In Old Fredericksburg on July 18, Scholarship Fest on Aug. 1, the 127th Gillespie County Fair, Aug. 20-23, and the Fredericksburg PBR on Sept. 12.
For more information or to purchase tickets online, visit www.gillespiefair.com or call 830-997-2359.
Special tribute
A moment of silence was observed on Saturday afternoon for the late Jerry Durst who died in September of 2014.
Durst, an honorary lifetime director, was in his 17th year on the board at the time of his death and was a familiar sight in the water truck at each race meet.
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