Horses began training over the Portland Meadows racing surface this month in preparation for the September 30th season opener.

© Ken Peery

PORTLAND, OR—SEPTEMBER 17, 2018—The season of racing is getting ready for action at Portland Meadows as the September 30th opening day draws near. The track opened for training earlier this month as horses are beginning to settle in for the wintertime Pacific Northwest home of racing.

The traditional Opening Day feature will be the $12,000 Inaugural Stakes at five and one half furlongs. The Oregon Championship Day will highlight the program on December 16th and of course The $25,000 Portland Mile on January 27th.

The Quarter Horse stakes program kicks off Sunday, October 7th with the $11,000-added Director's Handicap for 3-year-olds & up at 350 yards and the Portland Meadows Fall Derby, going 400 yards, is set for December 3. Highlights for 2-year-old sprinters are the 350 yards Far West Futurity Sunday, November 4th and the 400 yard Baxter Andruss Futurity on Sunday, December 16th.

The $17,000-added Portland Meadows Championship Bonus Challenge at 440 yards, for Challenge-enrolled Quarter Horses 3-year-olds & up, will also run December 16. The final Quarter Horse stakes of 2018 will be the $10,000-added Memorial at 350 yards and the Holiday Handicap at 870 yards on Sunday, December 23.

The New Year will get underway on January 6th with the $12,000-added 350 yards Gary Chumbley Handicap set Sunday, January 20th. The final Quarter Horse stake of the meet, the $11,000-added Mount Hood Handicap is scheduled for 400 yards on February 3.

There will be many familiar names returning for the 2018-19 season including last year’s leader Jonathan Nance. Previous title holder Rigoberto Velasquez is also slated to return as well as this year’s Longacres Mile winning Trainer Howard Belvoir.

Hector Magallanes, Nick Lowe and Scott Raley were the top three Quarter Horse trainers last season at Portland Meadows, while Eduardo Gutierrez-Sosa, Jake Samuels and Robert Burney were the track's leading jockeys.

For a complete look at the Portland Meadows stakes calendar for the 2018-19 season CLICK HERE.