Chester Racetrack has announced its 2011 schedule, which features 150 dates spanning two meets
. The 105-day Spring/Summer Meet will commence with a special 6:30 p.m. program on Friday, March 18 and will continue through Friday, September 9. First-race post time has been bumped ahead five minutes to 12:40 p.m. for the Spring/Summer Meet with a few 5:00 p.m. twilight cards scattered throughout. A Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday schedule, which proved popular among fans both on and off-track, will remain the norm.
The 45-day Fall Meet will begin on Friday, October 7 with another 6:30 p.m. start time before a Sunday-through-Wednesday schedule takes over. That schedule will continue through Wednesday, December 21. First-race post time for the Fall Meet will also be 12:40 p.m. with the exception of most Sundays, on which cards will kick off at 5:00 p.m.
The 2011 stakes schedule boasts over $8.1 million in purses over 12 events. The schedule is headlined once again by Super Stakes Sunday. The richest day in Pennsylvania harness racing will mark its fourth renewal on Sunday, August 21, with over $2.3 million at stake in a trio of three-year-old events -- the Colonial Trot, the Battle of the Brandywine for sophomore pacers, and the Valley Forge for pacing fillies.
Two events held as invitationals in 2010 are scheduled as late closers in 2011 -- those being the Betsy Ross distaff pace and the Maxie Lee Memorial for free-for-all trotters. Both will maintain a $100,000 purse in their respective finals, slated for Sunday, May 29 (Betsy Ross) and Sunday, June 12 (Maxie Lee Memorial). The Ben Franklin for free-for-all pacers will mark its fifth renewal on Sunday, July 3, with $500,000 on the line. The Spring/Summer Meet stakes schedule culminates in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes championships for three-year-olds of each sex and gait, with $800,000 in total purses on the line on Monday, September 5.
The highlight of the Fall meet will be the Fall Final Four for two-year-olds, which returns to Chester after being hosted this season by the Woodbine Entertainment Group. The Governor's Cup, Three Diamonds, Valley Victory, and Goldsmith Maid carry combined purses in excess of $2.1 million, and their finals will be held on Sunday, November 13. Post time for the Fall Final Four cards (eliminations on November 6 and finals on November 13) will be 12:40 p.m., the only two Sunday afternoons in the Fall Meet.
(Chester)