by Paul Verrette, for Plainridge Racecourse

Plainville, MA — In preparation for the earliest opening in its history, Plainridge Racecourse will hold the first qualifying races of the season on Monday, March 10, at 1:00 p.m. The 2008 season gets underway one week later, with the traditional post time of 4:00 p.m. for the St. Patrick’s Day card.

Trainers should be aware that the entry box for the initial qualifiers will close at 12:00 noon on Saturday, March 8. The Plainridge racing office will be open on both March 7 and March 8 to take entries.

A second batch of qualifying races will be held on Thursday, March 13, and the box will close on Wednesday at 12:00 noon. The first draw of the season will take place on Friday, March 14. Further information is available on the Plainridge Web site at www.prcharness.com.

Trainers should also note that as a result of a recent ruling by the state racing commission, the requirement that a horse must have started within the past 30 days has been relaxed to a 60 day standard for the first several weeks of the meet. Beginning in May, the regular 30 day rule will be enforced.

2008 marks the tenth season of racing at Plainridge, and the 36-week meet will continue through November 20. The track is open seven days and nights a week featuring live simulcasting from tracks throughout North America.

Date change at Plainridge

Massachusetts lawmakers have scheduled a hearing on Governor Deval Patrick’s casino proposal for 10:00 a.m. on March 18 at Gardner Auditorium in Boston.

Plainridge will open its harness racing season on Monday, March 17, but live racing originally scheduled for March 18 has been cancelled so horsemen and all interested parties can attend the hearing.

The Tuesday program has been moved to Wednesday, March 19, pending the approval of the Massachusetts Racing Commission.

— Jack Ginnetti contributed to this report