Jose Montoya rode My Mighty Sam to victory Saturday in the third race of the Gillespie County Race Meet. — Standard-Radio Post/Austin R. Eck
Only two more days of live pari-mutuel horse racing remains on the 2014 season following last weekend’s Gillespie County Race Meet at the Gillespie County Fair Grounds.
The 2014 racing season at the Gillespie County Fair Grounds wraps up on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 23-24, during the 126th Gillespie County Fair, which takes place Aug. 21-24.
(More information on the 126th Gillespie County Fair can be found in a separate article.)
Sponsored by the Gillespie County Fair and Festivals Association, Inc., the Gillespie County Race Meet on Saturday and Sunday drew 2,812 racing fans who wagered $291,496 on 24 races.
The total payout to betters was $228,023.
On Saturday, 1,607 fans wagered $169,633 while on Sunday, 1,205 fans wagered $121,860.
The payout on Saturday was $133,149 and on Sunday totaled $94,874.
Also taking place at the Gillespie County Fair Grounds over the weekend were three livestock shows, including the Meat Goat Futurity on Saturday and the Lamb Futurity and Gillespie County Race Day Classic Steer Show on Sunday.
(Photos of the winners from the livestock shows, held as part of the upcoming 126th Gillespie County Fair, can be found elsewhere in this issue of the newspaper.)
One of the highlights of the weekend racing program came on Sunday with the running of the 330-yard GCFA 79 and Under Speed Index Futurity. Total purse for the race was $46,400.
The 10 qualifiers were determined during the Night In Old Fredericksburg Race Meet on July 19.
With a time of 17.082, “Higher Promise,” ridden by Juan Garcia Jr., came in first.
Coming in second was “Jmf Jess Shamefull,” ridden by Luis Vivanco, followed by “Hiclass Deb,” ridden by Damian Martinez, in third.
In the qualifying races, “Higher Promise” qualified third, “Jmf Jess Shamefull” qualified fourth and “Hiclass Deb” qualified 10th.
The top qualifier, “Jmf Jess Rebel,” finished ninth and “Yei Yei” was scratched.
Rounding out the field were “Pretty Perry”, “Jmf Jess Dangerous,” “King Karter,” “Jmf Jess Tea,” “Superior Foose” and “Jmf Jess Rebel.”
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