This coming weekend, It's the first of two big thoroughbred racing events this year -s the International Festival of Racing. Ladies Day, Breakfast at Arlington, the Mane Event, and the famous Arlington Million race take place starting Friday.
Right after this weekend ends, the countdown will begin to the biggest racing event ever held at Arlington. the Breeder's Cup on Oct. 26, , which caps a week of international racing and glossy social events in and around the Arlington Hts. area.
Immediately after this Saturday's International Festival of Racing, construction will begin for at least 35,000 additional seats on both the first turn and stretch-run ends of the track to prepare for the Breeder's Cup, which could bring more than 60,000 horse racing enthusiasts from all over the world to Arlington Hts. this fall.
More than 30,000 persons probably will attend the Million and related events in Arlington Hts. this weekend.
In sequence, here are the events scheduled starting Friday, Aug. 15:
* A hat contest, hat parade, and sale, book signing by racing author Betsy Burns, and a Greatest Female Fan contest will be featured at Ladies Day on Friday. Each lady will be honored with a white carnation.
A prize of $1,000 goes to the winner of the fan contest, which is based on an essay.
* A poster giveaway of Cigar commemorating his Arlington Citation Challenge victory will take place on race day on Saturday, Aug. 16. The first 4,000 paid admissions will receive a free poster.
* From 5-10 p.m. Friday, in downtown Arlington Hts., it will be the Mane Event, with performances by the Metropolis Youth Symphony and a group called Noise Pollution, plus the Beatles tribute band. There will also be food booths, arts and crafts, and souvenir sales.
* The International Festival of Racing will include $2.1 million in purse money in three Grade I races - the Arlington Million for three-year-olds, the Beverly D for fillies and mares, and the Secretariat Stakes. Entertainment will be provided by the Black Horse Troop, Medieval Times, and the Kelties Irish Bagpipers.
The Million post time is sometime after 3 p.m. The first race is at noon.
Arlington has proved for years that it can present high quality thoroughbred racing. This fall in the Breeder's Cup, it will have a chance to prove if it can provide facilities and amenities for the biggest annual event in the horse racing world.