By Randy Monk
sports.desk@theindependent.com

"Entries for the opening day went very very well, we're ready to go and really looking forward to the season starting," racing secretary Doug Schoepf said.

"When you look at our weather we've had it's a real credit to the trainers getting their horses ready to run. We have 75 horses entered for opening day compared to just 53 last year." Schoepf said.

Schoepf was very happy not only with the number of entries, but with the 1,080 filled stalls on the ground.

"Not everyone is here yet, and you always lose a few horses that come and go, but we should have close to all stalls filled for the season." Schoepf said.

Echoing his racing secretary's enthusiasm was Fonner Park Chief Executive Officer Hugh Miner. "We're excited about the start of the racing season, this is always our busiest time. The first weekend is always popular with the Red Cross Chili Cook-off on the concourse and the Bold Accent Handicap on Saturday," Miner said.

The Bold Accent starts off a 14-race stakes schedule highlighted by the $75,000 Bosselman-Gus Fonner Stakes on April 26.

Trainers returning to the local scene include popular handlers David Anderson and Marvin Johnson, both multiple winners of the Fonner training title.

Anderson won last year's training race with 27 wins, giving him his eighth training title at Fonner Park and tying him along with Tim Gleason for most titles won.

"I'm really looking forward to the start of the meet," Anderson said. "We have 40 head here at the track, and quite a few more back at the farm that will be ready to run soon, we'll probably move a few of them back and forth during the season."

Bevy's Dazzler, the Nebraska bred horse of the year, highlights Anderson's stable along with two top three year colts in It Takes Two Baby and Tellin' On You.

"Both of the colts and a filly named Molly Pontz could do well in the three-year old stakes races here," Anderson said.

Johnson, a seven time winner of the training title himself, has a stable of 30 horses that he described as able to run right now and has entered eight of them on Friday's opening day card.

"I actually entered 12 horses, but some of them didn't get in," Johnson said. "We have horses in six of the nine races. We're kind of a blue collar barn with hard knocking horses."

Top 10 trainers from last year that are returning are Jason Wise, Larry Donlin, Milton Gaede, Kim Veerhusen and Brian Roberts.

The jockey colony features 15 different riders accepting mounts for opening day, plus 2007 leading rider Dennis Collins who will return to defend his title next weekend.

Collins, the winner of 63 races at last year's meet, will miss the opening weekend to stay in Arizona and ride Snowbound Halo in the $75,000 Phoenix Gold Cup on Saturday.

Veteran riders returning this year are Larren Delorme, Armando Martinez, Jerry Carkeek, Beth Butler, Don Frazier, Mike Luark and Lee Sensenbach. New faces in Fonner's riding colony include Damon Leeds, Jesus Ponce and Wilfredo Arroyo. Mike Ziegler returns to riding in Grand Island after campaigning in Arizona the past few seasons.

One face that Fonner fans haven't seen before but horse players are well aware of is Terry Houghton. Houghton a veteran rider with over 4,000 wins will be riding the first two weekends of the Fonner meet before returning to Chicago's Hawthorne Park. Houghton is listed on eight horses on Friday's card with trainer Johnson giving him a leg up on six of his horses.

"I've had Terry ride for me a lot at Canterbury Park and Indiana Downs," Johnson said. " He's a veteran rider with a lot of talent that is familiar with riding on a 5/8th mile track and should do very well here."

Post time for the first race is 2 p.m. Friday and 1:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Patrons will have not only a chance to wager on live racing, but can choose a simulcast wagering menu featuring 14 racetracks from coast-to-coast.

Hoofprints

* One familiar face in a different place is Rob Williams. The 10-time leading rider at Fonner will be making his debut today as a racing steward.

* Longtime Fonner favorite Tonight Rainbow will once again be testing the Stakes waters in Grand Island. Trainer Boyd Caster has nominated him for next week's Grasmick Handicap. The Rainbow, as he's known to his fans, is a seven-time stakes winner at Fonner and has captured the Grasmick on three different occasions.

* Wilfredo Arroyo will make his Fonner debut in the third race on the similarly named Sand Arroyo.

* The Red Cross Chili Cook-off will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday on the Fonner Park concourse. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Central Plains Chapter of the Red Cross.