'We've always had the Breeders' Cup as a target since we built the place' Only eight years ago, Lone Star Park did not exist. In three months' time, the Texas racecourse hosts the 21st Breeders' Cup. Chris Pitt investigates.

Byline: Chris Pitt

TEXANS have a reputation for doing things bigger and better. For an anxious few weeks, however, there was a fear they may not have been doing them at all.

An outbreak of the viral disease vesicular stomatitis, diagnosed on May 19 in three horses at a ranch in the far west of Texas, had threatened Lone Star Park's plans to host this year's Breeders' Cup on October 30.

Thankfully, tests on all 1,400 horses stabled at the track, carried out by Texas Racing Commission veterinarians, proved negative and, with no further cases being reported, Breeders' Cup spokesman Jim Gluckson has stated that the track has been given the all-clear to stage the event.

That the ranch is located 500 miles from the Dallas racecourse and yet still considered close enough to pose a threat gives some indication of the sheer size of Texas. Barring Alaska, it's the largest state in the Union - larger than France; four times bigger than Britain.

Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie (to give it its official title), located in the heart of what is known locally as the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, becomes the ninth track to host a Breeders' Cup. Having opened just seven years ago, it is by far the youngest.

Indeed, betting on horseracing was still illegal in the Lone Star State when the first Breeders' Cup took place in 1984. It was not until 1987 that Texans voted in favour of the return of pari-mutuel racing, after a hiatus of 50 years. It was a further ten years - April 17, 1997 - before the stalls opened for the first time at Lone Star Park.

Lone Star is a case study in how to do things right. Its seven-storey, glass-enclosed, air-conditioned grandstand contains luxury suites, box seating, top-class restaurant facilities, numerous food and drink outlets and gift shops. The state-of-the-art 36,000 square-foot Post Time Pavilion simulcast arena is the finest of its kind.

The horses proceed from the landscaped paddock onto the track via a glass-enclosed tunnel running through the middle of the grandstand - rubberised bricks throughout.

The main dirt track over a mile has seven-furlong and mile-and-a-quarter chutes. As for the seven-furlong turf, Santa Anita's turf specialist is working with Lone Star to produce a surface that will be at its peak in the autumn.

In contrast to the intense heat experienced in California on Cup day last year, the weather shouldn't be a problem. Lone Star's director of communications, Darren Rogers, says: 'Our average temperature on October 30 at Dallas is a high of 72 degrees with a low of 51 degrees; very pleasant. In fact, it's our most ideal month of the year. That's just one reason why we think this is going to be a tremendous Breeders' Cup.'

There is, however, one snag - the venue's size. Lone Star Park was designed to cater for an average of 10,000 to 12,000 racegoers. So how does it propose to accommodate a Breeders' Cup crowd of 50,000?

The answer lies in part of a three-phase $7.8 million capital improvement plan.

Phase one, completed in April 2003, saw the construction of two new 50-stall barns and a 96-stall multi-purpose quarantine area, giving Lone Star the ability to accommodate 1,600 horses.

Phase two included expansion of the winner's circle and paddock, the addition of 1,600 permanent outdoor box seats and the construction of 'Champions', a 10,000 square-foot hall at the eastern end of the grandstand, providing 400 additional VIP seats.

The third and final phase, now under way, sees the addition of some 35,000 temporary seats, extending from the final turn, down the stretch and into the clubhouse turn.

Being awarded the Breeders' Cup comes as no surprise to Lone Star's general manager Jeff Greco, who says: 'We've always had the Breeders' Cup as our target since we built the place. We think it's an opportunity for us to host the world with some western heritage and Texas hospitality, and to gain the attention that Lone Star Park deserves on a national and international basis.'

The short-term benefit of holding the 21st Breeders' Cup at Lone Star Park has been estimated at some $52 million to the local economy. While the decision may have surprised officials at some of the larger tracks, Greco insists: 'We've always aspired to high standards of customer service.

'We wanted a place that people were comfortable with, and where they received the service that they should get. We've been fortunate to build a team, not only in our management group but also in our individual employees, who all believe in aspiring to those same standards.

'From a Breeders' Cup perspective, I think they watched how we operated our business, they liked our creativeness. They realised that we were a company that was for real and that we firmly believed in everything we did and tried to prove it on a day-in, day-out basis.

'One of the things we said when we were awarded the event was that this is not only Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie's Breeders' Cup, it's Texas's Breeders' Cup.

'We've had great support from the Governor and the entire racing industry in the state of Texas. We're fortunate to be the host site, but everyone in Texas opens their arms to the Breeders' Cup and the world racing audience.'

Now, along with the 21st Breeders' Cup, Lone Star Park has also come of age.

Location Lone Star Park is located 12 miles west of Dallas and 20 miles east of Fort Worth. It is approximately 10 miles south of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport

Flights British Airways and American Airlines operate daily direct flights from Gatwick to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport

Host hotels in Dallas Arlington Hilton(media); Wyndham Anatole (VIP); Wyndham Marriott (horsemen)

Meeting dates October 1-31 including an international jockeys' championship on Oct 28, the $250,000 Lone Star Derby on Oct 29 and the main event on Oct 30

Ticket prices $50, $75, $100, $125. Applications on a first come, first served basis. Tickets limited to six per household

For more details go to www.breederscup.com