Sam Houston Race Park will open Friday with all of its traditional trappings in place – from a reduced 12 percent takeout on multi-race wagers to the $800,000 Houston Racing Festival – but the reach of its simulcast signal will be limited. Due to an ongoing impasse between the Texas Racing Commission and the federal Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, Sam Houston’s races can only be exported to other racetracks in Texas and international locales. Sam Houston’s races will be exported to sites in Canada, South America, the United Kingdom, and Australia, said Chris McErlean, vice president of racing for the track’s parent company, Penn Entertainment. The 43-date meet will run through April 8. Sam Houston is shifting to all daytime racing for the first time in about 20 years, with a first post of 1 p.m. Central. The track will race Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and two holiday Mondays in January and February. :: DRF Bets players have exclusive access to FREE DRF Past Performances - Classic or Formulator! Join today.  “With us not able to export our signal, we had to reevaluate our operation and how we could maximize our handle,” said Frank Hopf, assistant general manager of Sam Houston. “The direction we are moving to is daytime racing. That’s when we have the larger part of our simulcast players in the building. “We also felt from a marketing standpoint, to get people to the track, that daytime racing would be an opportunity to build our ontrack handle and attendance and introduce new people to racing, as well and bring some back to the track.” Hopf said that on the simulcast front, Sam Houston will be working closely with Woodbine to promote its signal in Canada. The Grade 3, $300,000 Houston Ladies Classic and the Grade 3, $200,000 John B. Connally Turf Cup will again highlight the Houston Racing Festival of five stakes on Jan. 28. The card has been moved from a Sunday to a Saturday. The $700,000 Texas Champions Day card of seven Texas-bred stakes is March 25. Sam Houston’s purses are projected to average $225,000 per card, the same as last season. The track is racing seven fewer dates to maintain that level and has a foundation of funds in place due to Texas legislation that tabs a portion of taxes on some equine goods and services for the state’s breeding and racing industry. Trainers Steve Asmussen, Karl Broberg, Bret Calhoun, and Danny Pish have divisions in place for the meet, while trainer Robertino Diodoro, the current leader at Oaklawn, said a couple of factors have led him to send a string to Sam Houston. “It’s close to home, and it’s hard not to like Texas,” he said. “I’ve got some Texas clients. It’s a combination of a few things.” :: DRF New Year Sale: Save up to 50% on handicapping essentials - DRF Past Performances, Clocker Reports, and more! Wildatlanticstorm, the horse of the meet at Remington Park, is stabled at Sam Houston, according to trainer Ray Ashford Jr. He said that Wildatlanticstorm, the winner of the $400,000 Springboard Mile, could launch his 3-year-old season in the Southwest at Oaklawn. Sahin Civaci, who ranked among the leading riders at Woodbine, will be wintering at Sam Houston, said Cody Autrey, who has his book in Texas. Sam Houston’s jockey colony also includes Stewart Elliott, Lane Luzzi, and Leandro Goncalves. The stakes schedule launches Saturday with a pair of $75,000 divisions of the Texas Stallion Stakes. Hopf said Sam Houston’s live races will be broadcast on its website, shrp.com. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.