Melissa M. Dunn 
Almost Isle Downs & Casino will enter a new era when horse racing opens on Monday afternoon for the first full 100-day meet since 2019.
The track will launch cards starting at 1:30 p.m. The previous posting time was 4:45 p.m.
Week one will feature three nights of racing, Monday through Wednesday, before Thursdays are added to the mix for week two.
PID will not run on Sundays this year, but took five Fridays, four in August and one in September.
“True racing fans will find a way to come to the races no matter what,” said Patrick Morell, PID simulcast host and assistant racing director. “Ninety percent of the tracks in America are running during the day anyway. You’ve got a new era of racing where people are betting on their phones more than anything else. It’s just the way of the world.
“Fans are still looking at the map even though they have other things to do, but I think it’s going to really help move our handle to that 1:30 position.”
Morell admitted that the new time will certainly be an adjustment for local fans, but he urges them to get out when they can.
Almost Isle Downs race information: Get daily PID Thoroughbred racing information via this link
“I’m very excited about this season,” he said. “We’re back to where we weren’t before. It was tough for a lot of these riders to race three months out of the year.”
“A lot of people struggled and now they’re back,” Morell added. “It’s going to help those people tremendously. Our racetrack is hugely important to our riders and to our fans. We’re leaders in horse racing safety.”
When it comes to rear adjustments, some will face more challenges than others.
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“(The new starting time) doesn’t affect me significantly with a small team,” coach Cassandra Judd said. “Trainers with more horses might find it difficult to complete everything they need in this shorter time frame.”
The only measure of concern expressed by Judd is the dark color of the track. She says PID riders will have to be careful with horses when temperatures rise.
“This very dark surface will heat up during the hottest parts of the day, which is where we are currently running,” she said. “We will have to remain vigilant.”
The PID remains one of the safest leads
Almost Isle Downs continues to offer one of the safest trails around. It has had no catastrophic failures in 2021, a rarity in the sport.
Judd was in her first year as a public trainer last year when she took three horses to PID competition. The Kentucky native had worked with coach Mike Rogers at Almost Isle in 2020 before venturing out on her own the following season.
“It’s a testament to the management of Churchill Downs and the people they have employed to run their lanes,” Judd said. “It’s encouraging when I can send my horses out. They’re athletes. They’re going to get bumps and bruises from time to time, but it certainly beats some of the numbers you see at other tracks.”
Judd has set a huge goal for himself in the first year, which could raise his expectations in 2022. Judd looked to win with each of his three equines in his first encounter.
His horses didn’t break into the winner’s circle until his seventh race when Gucci Gal launched a hot streak for Judd’s stable. Judd’s ninth race was a win for Kenya Road and then in No. 10 Animauxselle completed the personal trifecta.
“I set this absurd goal, and I didn’t realize how hard I had set a goal,” Judd said. “Now it’s about finding a way to top last year.”
Judd had worked around horses for about 20 years before finally trying his luck.
“Having all that experience under my belt, it’s gone perfectly to have a successful season as a public coach,” she said.
Almost Isle Masters returns in 2022
PID will have a full lineup of stakes races during the 2022 season, including the Almost Isle Masters, which will take place on September 19. This day will feature two stakes races with a combined purse of $600,000.
The Près Isle Mile, for horses 3 years and older, will guarantee $200,000. The “Mile” is actually a thousand and a sixteenth.
The Masters, a Grade II race for fillies and mares aged 3 and over, guarantees $400,000. The Masters opened in 2007 with a bid of $400,000 over a distance of six stadiums. This distance was increased to 6½ when the race was upgraded to a Grade III race.
In 2011, the Master became a Grade II. It hasn’t been raced since 2019, when Hotshot Anna won the Masters for the second consecutive year, ridden by Antonio Gallardo and trained by Hugh Robertson.
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2022 Stakes Calendar
May 23: Tom Ridge, $100,000, 3 years, 6 furlongs
July the 5th : Karl Boyes, $100,000, ages 3+, 6 furlongs
July 18: Malvern Rose, $100,000, 3-year-old fillies, 6 1/2 furlongs
July 25: Princess of Sylmar, $100,000, 3+ fillies and mares, 1 mile 70 yards
July 26: Hard Spun, $100,000, 3+, 1 mile 70 meters
August 8: Lady Erie, $100,000, 3-year-old fillies, 6 furlongs
August 15th : Satin and lace, $100,000, 3+ fillies and mares, 6 furlongs
August 22: Peach Street, $100,000, 3+, 1 mile 70 meters
September 19: Almost Isle Mile, $200,000, 3+, 11/16 miles
September 19: Almost Isle Masters, $400,000, fillies and mares 3+, 6 1/2 furlongs
October 3: Almost Isle Debutante, $100,000, 2-year-old fillies, 6 1/2 furlongs
October 4: Fitz Dixon Jr. Memorial Juvenile, $100,000, 2-year-old, 6 1/2 furlongs
October 24: Finest City, $100,000, 2-year-old fillies, 6 furlongs
October 25: Mark McDermott, $100,000, 2 years, 6 furlongs
October 26: HBPA Stakes, $100,000, 3+ fillies, 1 mile 70 yards
Contact Josh Reilly at [email protected] Follow him on Twitter @ETNreilly.
