by Scott Ehrlich, publicity director, Cal-Expo

Sacramento, CA — Cal-Expo has requested and received approval from the California Horse Racing Board to vacate Sunday racing after January 24, 2010, and trade those Sundays for Wednesday racing beginning January 27.

“Our racing program, as well as many others of all breeds around the country, has not been immune to the decline of discretionary dollars used for wagering on horse racing,” stated Dave Elliott, Assistant General Manager and Director of Racing for Cal-Expo. “The horsemen have done an outstanding job in participating in the meet by entering their horses. Unfortunately, the wagering has declined. We are hopeful the move to Wednesday nights and away from Sunday nights will create more interest in our program with a little less competition for the wagering dollar.”

As an added incentive to the Wednesday night players, Elliott is giving them an additional good reason to attend the races, regardless of where they are in the Golden State.

“We will be holding a handicapping contest with total prize money of $10,000. Leg 1 will be on Wednesday, January 27, and a total of $2,500 ($100 to the top 25 qualifiers in the state) will be given away. The same goes for the second leg on Wednesday, February 3. The final leg on Wednesday, February 10, will feature $5,000 in prize money.

“Again, we are adjusting the way we conduct our business in an effort to find the correct formula. We are optimistic about the future of harness racing in California,” concluded Elliott.

Live racing resumes at Cal-Expo on Friday (January 1) and continues through Sunday (January 3). Post time on Friday is at 5:35 p.m. (PST). Post time on Saturday is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Post time on Sunday has a special early first race post time of 4:50 p.m.