July 29, 2010 - In preparation for the November 19 Bank of America Challenge Championships, Fair Grounds will host the Fair Grounds Challenge Stakes on September 25.
The 440-yard race for Challenge-enrolled horses 3 years old and older will serve to fill the field, if necessary, for the $350,000 Bank of America Challenge Championship (G1). The resulting finishers may be issued an invitation to the Challenge Championship if the winner and second-place horse in any regional Championship race decline the invitation to run.
The $200 nomination payment for the Fair Grounds Challenge Stakes is due August 15, and the $600 sustaining payment is due September 15.
The purse includes $25,000 from the Racing Challenge, $5,000 from Markel Insurance, $10,000 from Fair Grounds and $10,000 from the Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders' Association. Of that, $40,000 is available to Challenge-enrolled horses and $10,000 is available to accredited Louisiana-breds enrolled in the Challenge.
The Bank of America Challenge Championships will be held for the first time at historic Fair Grounds in New Orleans. The event's race card will feature 13 stakes races worth more than $1.1 million. The event is held in conjunction with the AQHA Racing Conference November 17-20.
For more information about the 2010 Bank of America Challenge Championships or the AQHA Racing Conference, visit the website or call the Challenge hotline at (877) 222-7223.