HIALEAH, FL—JUNE 26, 2015—World-class Quarter Horse racing will return to historic Hialeah Park, known around the globe as “the world’s most beautiful racecourse,” on the day after Christmas, Saturday December 26, 2015.

Hialeah Park’s 7th season of live Quarter Horse racing will include 40 days of on-track action and 24 guaranteed or added-money stakes races between opening day December 26 and the final day of the 2015-16 session on Monday February 29, 2016.

While the opening four days of the season are slated for Saturday December 26 through Tuesday December 29, Hialeah Park will host live racing Friday through Monday for the rest of the 10-week schedule. First post will be at 12:35 PM ET every racing day and, as always, Hialeah Park offers free parking and admission.

The 2015-16 live meet will be the first as Director of Racing for industry veteran Mike Anifantis, who joined Hialeah Park as Assistant Racing Secretary in 2014 before stepping up earlier this year to replace Matt Crawford.

“Opening day is six months away, but it’s not too early to start the recruiting process,” said Anifantis. “I’m planning to visit Oklahoma, Indiana, and Texas over the next few weeks and reach out to the top trainers at tracks in those states.”

“We believe our calendar and our stakes schedule will be attractive to horsemen across the country,” he added. “I expect to have our top trainers back –Judd Kearl, Anna Crowson, John Stinebaugh, Matt Frazier just to name a few– and I’ll recruit some new barns that could really complement our overall program.” Hialeah Park’s stakes schedule for the 2015-16 season kicks off with the $25,000-added Bienvenido De Nuevo Stakes at 330 yards on opening day December 26, 2015 and concludes with a stakes-rich afternoon on Sunday February 28, 2016 highlighted by the $100,000-added South Florida Quarter Horse Derby and the $100,000-guaranteed Sam Abbey Memorial Invitational Championship, both at the classic American Quarter Horse distance of 440 yards.

The 2015-16 stakes offerings will include a pair of series, the Hialeah Park Distance Series and the Hialeah Park Sprint Series. Both sets of races feature participation bonuses, totaling $20,000 for the Distance Series and $15,000 for the Sprint Series. The Orange Blossom Stakes at 550 yards on December 27, 2015 will be the first race in the Distance Series. That sequence of races continues with the Moonstone Stakes at 660 yards on January 31, 2016 and concludes with the Sailfish Stakes at 1000 yards on February 28. The Sprint Series starts with the Speedball Stakes at 110 yards on December 28, 2015, continues with the Tallahassee Stakes at 220 yards on January 31, and finishes with the Beautiful Prairie Stakes at 250 yards on February 28.

A downloadable racing calendar, the complete 2015-16 stakes schedule, and the stall application forms for horsemen are posted online at www.hialeahpark.com.