Page 31 - Southern Oregon Magazine Summer 2021
P. 31
EVENTS
E V EN T S
AND THEY’RE OFF!
FALL RACING BEGINS AT GRANTS PASS DOWNS
regon’s premier horse racing facility will offer 16 days of live racing beginning Monday,
OSeptember 20 continuing through Tuesday, November 9. The eight-week season features rac-
ing every Monday and Tuesday with first post 5:15 p.m.
After Portland Meadows closed in 2019, Grants Pass Downs became Oregon’s only commercial
horse racing track. They host two separate seasons totaling 33 racing days: 17-day spring/summer
meet mid-May to early July, and 16-day fall meet late September through early November. They
are located just west of downtown Grants Pass.
Last year’s fall meet established records for largest total handle (over $6 million wagered) and
average daily handle ($377,789), average field size (8.03) and total purses paid ($1,073,375).
Under the leadership of CEO Travis Boersma, President Randy Evers and Vice President Kendra
Lellis, Grants Pass Downs continues with substantial upgrades and additions throughout the
64-acre facility: a state-of-the-art safety rail to ensure the welfare of riders and horses and raise
the standard of the meet; widening the track to improve conditions for racing, with an additional
800 tons of sand laid in anticipation of wet fall weather; a new chute making possible six-furlong
thoroughbred races and 440-yard quarter horse races; lighting to support evening racing; building
the Flying Lark restaurant and entertainment venue on the southwest corner of the Fairgrounds.
On schedule for a grand opening later this year, the Flying Lark will be a showpiece destination for
diners and racing fans throughout Southern Oregon, offering full-service family-oriented indoor
and outdoor dining areas, a sports bar, banquet facilities, and art pieces by regional artists that
celebrate the magic, power and beauty of horses. In addition, a gaming bar will feature historic
racing terminals that will help increase revenue for Oregon’s horse racing purses.
As usual, several important stakes races enhance the fall racing product, topped by the Grants Pass
Mile, the state’s richest and most prestigious event for older horses.
www.gpdowns.com
summer 2021 | www.southernoregonmagazine.com 29
