Fair Grounds back on Youbet.com!
Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots opens its doors on the 2008-09 season today, the first time since 1979 that the Louisiana facility will begin its meet before Thanksgiving Day. Two stakes races (both for fillies and mares) - the Blushing K. D. H. at 1 1/8 miles on the turf and the Si Cima Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on the dirt - highlight today's card. Favored at 3-1 in the K. D. H. is Stormy West, a daughter of Gone West that is trained by Bill Mott and ridden by Patrick Valenzuela (yep, he's back), while Collectzcat is a 9-5 early choice in the Si Cima.

Hawthorne Survivor contest worth $2,500
Hawthorne is holding a FREE Survivor Contest. Just select one horse from each race card of the 2008 Hawthorne Race Course Thoroughbred racing meet to finish first, second or third. If successful on Day No. 1, you move on to Day No. 2, and so on. The handicapper who last the longest will receive the prize of $2,500. Sign up and place your contest entries.

Solar Flare Seeks First Stakes Win at Aqueduct
Solar Flare, who came within a whisker of capturing the Grade I Suburban Handicap at Belmont Park on June 28, will attempt to break his added-money maiden when he squares off against seven rivals in the Grade III Stuyvesant Handicap at Aqueduct on Saturday. Solar Flare, who won three races in Argentina before arriving in the United States, tuned up for the Stuyvesant with a 2 ½-length score in a $75,000 optional claiming event at Meadowlands on Oct. 27. Set to oppose the likely favorite are Phil the Power, Stud Muffin, Helsinki, Brilliant Son, Ravel, Temporary Saint and Dry Martini.

Audrey Skirball-Kenis Stakes at Hollywood Park
Hollywood Park's main event on Saturday is the $65,000 Audrey Skirball-Kenis Stakes, a 1 1/8-mile turf event for three-year-old fillies that drew an evenly-matched field of nine, including Solar Miss, Famous Ruby and Sensational Love.

Hollywood Park and Golden Gate Available to CA Residents
Remember, if you are a resident of California, you can still watch and wager on the races from Hollywood Park and Golden Gate Fields with Youbet.com throughout their fall meets.

Lee's Spirit Tops Retama Feature
After catching all the daytime racing action this weekend, be sure to take your computer on a San Antonio scroll to Retama Park, where Saturday's feature race is the $50,000 No Le Hace Stakes for 3-year-olds and up. Among the contenders in the one-mile event are Lee's Spirit, Gold Wonder and Hunting Bag.

Sire Stakes at Cal-Expo
Round three of the California Sire Stakes for juveniles will take place this weekend, as the fillies are featured tonight and the boys take center stage on Saturday. Improving Dani California and Firewall look like the ones to beat in the filly trot, while Silver Bloom and Make Me Late are among the most prominent female pacers. In the dudes' division, trotters Try This and Credit Score look solid, as do pacing pros Pacinello and Glad To Be Back.

2 x 4 = Great Racing at Dover
Four stakes races for two-year-olds are featured on Saturday's card at Dover Downs, as the curtain lowers on this year's Matron Stakes series. Honorable Daughter, a seven-time winner in eight lifetime starts, has been made the 5-2 morning line favorite in the filly trot; Hawaiian Drink is listed at 2-1 in the female pace; and If I Can Dream is a 7-5 choice in the male pacing event. Explosive Matter, who is seeking his fourth consecutive victory, was tabbed at 6-5 in the guys' trotting tilt. Post time for Saturday's card is 5:30pm Eastern.

Final Canadian Start for Somebeachsomewhere
As the Steve Miller Band once noted, time is "slippin', slippin', slippin' into the future" for those wishing to catch a glimpse of one of the greatest pacers in standardbred racing history. Following his last Canadian start in a division of the $300,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final at Woodbine Racetrack this Saturday, Somebeachsomewhere will end his brilliant career at Meadowlands in the Breeders Crown on Nov. 29.

Thanksgiving Day Hours
Youbet.com Player Services will be open from 7am to 3pm Pacific Time (10am to 6pm Eastern) on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 27. Normal operations resume on Friday, Nov. 28. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!