by Denis Blake

Sam Houston Race Park’s live Thoroughbred race meeting, scheduled to open on November 28, could be in jeopardy because of damage to the track caused by Hurricane Ike.

During Tuesday’s Texas Racing Commission meeting in Austin, Sam Houston Chief Operating Officer Andrea Young outlined a long list of items that would have to be addressed before live racing could begin.

“We sustained quite a bit of damage,” Young said, adding that some of the damage from the September 13 storm was more severe than originally thought. “The grandstand roof needs significant repair or even a total replacement.”

The backstretch barns suffered damage and nearly all of the dorms for grooms will need to be repaired or replaced because of water damage. The track’s toteboard also was completely destroyed.

Young estimated that the total repair bill will exceed $10-million. The track lost the final two days of its Quarter Horse meeting and eight days of simulcasting because of the hurricane.

If the track cannot open for live racing as scheduled on November 28, some dates could be shifted to Retama Park, which runs its current Thoroughbred meet through November 15. Lone Star Park and Manor Downs also could pick up some of the dates, but any transfer would need to be approved by the state racing commission.

Young said the main obstacle in holding a meeting this year is the condition of the track’s roof and whether it needs to be repaired or completely replaced. Engineers will make that determination soon.

“We’d like to hold a live meet,” Young said, “but it will be challenging to hold it as scheduled with the scope of repairs needed.”

A meeting has been scheduled for October 14 between the state’s breed representatives and track operators to discuss contingency plans.

“I can’t tell you how critical these race dates are to Texas owners and breeders, who are already struggling,” said Dave Hooper, executive director of the Texas Thoroughbred Association. “It is imperative that we find a way to run these dates at Sam Houston or at least somewhere else in Texas.”

Denis Blake is a Texas-based Thoroughbred Times correspondent