Arlington has scheduled a race for Friday, Aug. 20, the day before the Arlington Million, that will pit five retired jockeys against five current Arlington riders. Expected to ride in the race are Hall of Famers Earlie Fires and Gary Stevens, as well as Mark Guidry, Patti Cooksey, and Jean Cruguet.
The active jockey participants will be Junior Alvarado, Mike Baze, James Graham, Jesus Castanon, and Inez Karlsson.
The race will be contested on turf, and will offer standard parimutuel wagering as well as a special bet that will match the group of retired riders against the active jockeys. Points will be assigned to finishing positions in the race, and the group with the highest point total will be declared the winner.
The five retired jockeys riding in the race also will be part of a charity event the same day to benefit the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund and the Racetrack Chaplaincy of America, called Dining with the Dynasty. Also scheduled to attend the event are Jerry Bailey, Bill Boland, Pat Day, Jackie Fires, Laffit Pincay Jr., Randy Romero, John Rotz, Ray Sibille, and Ron Turcotte.
Ticket-holders to the event will spend an afternoon with the jockeys at Arlington’s Longshots Sports Bar. Tickets are available for $99 if bought online before Aug. 12, and can be purchased for $119 after that date. Attendance is limited to 200.
Among several door prizes being offered is spot in a Million Day luxury suite and another chance to mingle with the riders in town for Dining with the Dynasty.
