I Are Sharp ushered in racing at Lone Star Park in 1997, when he won the Premiere Stakes. Fast forward to Thursday night, and the Dallas-area track opens for its 25th anniversary season. There are upgrades to the stakes schedule and wagering format for the 48-date meet. Lone Star also will celebrate with giveaways and a new wall mural outlining the accomplishments of its all-time leading trainer, Hall of Fame horseman Steve Asmussen. And, just like when I Are Sharp won the Premiere, the first race for the nine-race opener will be a stakes, the $75,000 Bluebonnet, which drew 10. “We’re seeing very positive trends for the meet,” said Brandon Leigh, director of marketing and player development for Lone Star. “Ticket sales are trending up. Entries for opening day were good, the stakes looks strong, and of course, we have a full backside. We’re optimistic, for sure.” Lone Star is opening about a week later this meet and also closing later, on July 24. “We wanted to make sure that the Texas horse population got two weeks off after Sam Houston closed,” Leigh said. “It’s really just kind of working with the circuit on making sure a schedule makes sense for everybody, and we did extend our season from 12 weeks to 13 weeks. We’re closing two weeks later than last year. Last year, we ran all four-day weeks. This year, we’re mixing in some three-day weeks.” :: Want to start playing with a $510 bankroll and have access to free Formulator? Learn more Lone Star’s stakes schedule is worth $2.9 million, up from $2.2 million in 2021, according to Leigh. The Lone Star Million Day card on May 30 has been expanded from five to six stakes, with the richest offering the Grade 3, $400,000 Steve Sexton Mile. Lone Star has added the $100,000 Speightstown Sprint, named for the winner of the 2004 Breeders’ Cup Sprint held at Lone Star. Lone Star also has upgraded its Summer Turf Festival of four grass stakes, led by the $300,000 Texas Turf Classic for 3-year-olds and up over 1 1/8 miles. The races are July 16. “The success from Lone Star Million Day last year, which was a return after 10 years, told us that there’s a benefit of trying to add another big stakes day,” Leigh said. Leigh said total purses for the Summer Turf Festival stakes were boosted from $300,000 to $750,000 in cooperation with the Texas Horsemen’s Partnership. “We also moved the Summer Turf Festival from late June to mid-July,” he said. “We strategically picked a weekend where there was no Southern California racing at all.” The hope is handle will benefit from the move. Another major stakes card for the meet is the Stars of Texas Day program on July 17. Leigh said Lone Star plans to have a $50,000-minimum guaranteed pool on its late pick four every Sunday. The 50-cent bet will run on the final four races. The track has replaced its jackpot pick six with a pick six. Purses for the meet are projected to average $268,000 per card, Leigh said. The track’s 1,530 available stalls have all been allotted. Asmussen on Thursday night will sign posters featuring the new wall mural. He is the all-time leading trainer in North America and lives near Lone Star. First post is 6:35 p.m. Central.