Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com

The Humboldt County Fair will feature six days of horse racing over the next week and a half, with the action getting under way on Friday.

After seeing last year’s fair canceled because of the pandemic, the horses return to Ferndale for the 124th time with racing taking place on three consecutive days over each weekend.

“Things look very hopeful for a big meet,” Humboldt racing secretary Tom Doutrich said. “There are a lot of race horses that have shipped in for the meet, and if the horsemen respond at the entry box, I feel we will have an outstanding meet.”

According to fair officials, competing horses have come in mainly from the Bay Area and Oregon, and with the Golden Gate Fields in Albany taking a week off, Ferndale inherits the Northern California racing spotlight this week.

Along with regular win, place and show wagering, various other exotic bets will be on offer, including special Gold Rush (Pick-Six) and Gold Strike (Super High Five) wagers.

The Gold Rush wager challenges bettors to select winners of the day’s final six races, while the Gold Strike requires bettors to select the first five finishers in the day’s final race in exact order.

Both have huge jackpots, which will be paid out if there is one lone winner,  

There is a $193,363 jackpot for the Gold Rush, and $197,082 up for grabs in the Gold Strike pot.

There are seven races scheduled for Friday, with the first post time set for 3:15 p.m.

Last week, the Humboldt Fair Board made the decision to allow fans into this year’s fair with a mask mandate.