Remington Park is a
horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...
track and
casino
A casino is a facility for gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...
located in
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...
,
Oklahoma
Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...
. Built in 1988 by
Edward J. DeBartolo Sr.
Edward John DeBartolo Sr. (May 17, 1909 – December 19, 1994) was an American businessman. In 1971, his Ohio-based corporation was ranked 47th among the nation's top 400 construction contractors. In 1983, DeBartolo was included on ''Forbes'' m ...
, it was the first world-class pari-mutuel track in Oklahoma. Since 2010,
Global Gaming RP has owned and operated the racing facility.
Races
The track features an
American Quarter Horse
The American Quarter Horse, or Quarter Horse, is an American breed of horse that excels at sprinting short distances. Its name is derived from its ability to outrun other horse breeds in races of or less; some have been clocked at speeds up to ...
, Paint and Appaloosa season March through June. The
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...
season begins August through December.
[Remington Park Horse Racing Track and Casino - Full Profile of the Horse Racing Track and Casino in Oklahoma City's Remington Park](_blank)
/ref> In addition, Remington Park annually hosts the richest race in Oklahoma, the $1,000,000 Heritage Place Futurity in May and the $400,000 Oklahoma Derby headlines the Thoroughbred season in the fall. The rest of the year the park is open for casino gaming and simulcast racing.
In 2016, Remington Park hosted the AMA Pro Flat Track motorcycle racing series, marking the first time since the former Oklahoma State Fairgrounds half-mile in 1999 that motorcycle racing's oldest domestic championship was run in the area. The Oklahoma City Mile is held between the end of the quarter horse season and the thoroughbred seasons.
Graded events
The following Graded events were held at Remington Park in 2023.
Grade III
* Oklahoma Derby
* Remington Park Oaks
History
Remington Park was built by the late Edward J. DeBartolo Sr.
Edward John DeBartolo Sr. (May 17, 1909 – December 19, 1994) was an American businessman. In 1971, his Ohio-based corporation was ranked 47th among the nation's top 400 construction contractors. In 1983, DeBartolo was included on ''Forbes'' m ...
, the shopping mall
A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a large indoor shopping center, usually Anchor tenant, anchored by department stores. The term ''mall'' originally meant pedestrian zone, a pedestrian promenade with shops along it, but in the late 1960s, i ...
developer who also owned Thistledown in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...
and Louisiana Downs
Louisiana Downs Casino & Racetrack is a horse racing track and racino located in Bossier City, Louisiana, Bossier City in northwestern Louisiana. It opened in 1974. The casino features over 800 slot machines. The track specification is a dirt trac ...
in Bossier City, Louisiana
Bossier City ( ) is a city in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, Bossier Parish in the northwestern region of the U.S. state, state of Louisiana in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in the Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area ...
. Remington Park officially opened on September 1, 1988. At the time, it was the only American track to use a synthetic surface for its main track called Equitrack, which utilized grains of sand coated with a wax polymer. The intent was to provide a safe all-weather racing surface that would provide a fast condition for all races. The Equitrack experiment failed as the surface did not hold up during the very warm Oklahoma summers. Remington Park replaced Equitrack with a more traditional natural ingredient racing surface. No other American track used a synthetic surface until 2005, when Turfway Park
Turfway Park is an American horse racing track located within the city limits of Florence, Kentucky, about south of the Ohio River at Cincinnati. The track conducts live Thoroughbred horse racing during two meets each year—Holiday (December), ...
installed an improved product called Polytrack
The track surface of a horse racing track refers to the material of which the track is made. There are three types of track surfaces used in modern horse racing. These are:
*Turf, the most common track surface in Europe
*Dirt, the most common trac ...
. The main dirt track is one mile in circumference with the inner turf course measuring seven furlong
A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to any of 660 foot (unit), feet, 220 yards, 40 rod (unit), rods, 10 chain (unit), chains, or a ...
s. Since 2005 Remington Park has included a casino
A casino is a facility for gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...
with 750 slot machine
A slot machine, fruit machine (British English), poker machine or pokie (Australian English and New Zealand English) is a gambling machine that creates a game of chance for its customers.
A slot machine's standard layout features a screen disp ...
s. In 2009, the Horseplayers Association of North America introduced a rating system for 65 Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...
racetracks in North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
, and rated Remington Park #3. Remington Park is now owned by Global Gaming RP who purchased the facility via auction in 2009 from Magna Entertainment Corporation
Granite Real Estate Investment Trust (formerly MI Developments Inc.) is a Canadian-based REIT engaged in the acquisition, development, ownership and management of industrial, warehouse and logistics properties in North America and Europe. It was ...
for $89.25 million dollars. Global Gaming began operations at Remington Park on January 1, 2010.
References
External links
Remington Park official web site
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1988 establishments in Oklahoma
Casinos in Oklahoma
Horse racing venues in Oklahoma
Sports venues in Oklahoma City