The Pleasanton Fairgrounds Racetrack at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in

Pleasanton, California Pleasanton is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. Located in the Amador Valley, it is a suburb in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 79,871 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. In 200 ...

is a one-mile (1.6 km / 8- f)

race track A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also u ...

for

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

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 a quarter mile or less; some have been clocked at s ...

and

Arabian The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plate. ...

racing. Constructed in 1858 by the sons of Spaniard Don Agustín Bernal, it is the third-oldest

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, 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 basic p ...

track of its kind in the United States. Only the

Freehold Raceway Freehold Raceway is a half-mile racetrack in Freehold Borough, New Jersey, and is the oldest racetrack in the United States. Horseraces have been taking place at Freehold Raceway since the 1830s. The Monmouth County Agricultural Society was for ...

in New Jersey (oldest) and

Fair Grounds Race Course Fair Grounds Race Course, often known as New Orleans Fair Grounds, is a thoroughbred racetrack and racino in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is operated by Churchill Downs Louisiana Horseracing Company, LLC. As early as 1838 Bernard de Marigny, Ju ...

in Louisiana are older. Known as the Pleasanton Trotting Park in 1876, Joseph Nevis inherited the track and took over the racetrack and built its first grandstand. In 1883, Australian millionaire Monroe Salisbury bought it for $25,000 (about 666,325 when adjusted for inflation), and renamed it the Pleasanton Stock Farm. His signature red hay gained fame for the racetrack, and Eastern United States owners began shipping their horses to Pleasanton. In 1900, H.F Anderson bought the racetrack, renaming it the Pleasanton Training Track, and improved it with the extension of the racetrack, and the addition of 200 stalls. The racetrack eventually became associated with the Alameda County Fair with the first fair being held on the grounds of the racetrack in 1912. The racetrack would again change hands in 1911, when the Canadian Roger J. MacKenzie bought it and renovated it by adding living quarters and an additional barn to accommodate extra horses. Due to the racetrack's reliance on betting to stay afloat and the brief outlawing of it for 20 years, the racetrack would be closed for 16 years from 1916-1932. In 1940, the facility was sold to

Alameda County Alameda County ( ) is a List of counties in California, county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 1,682,353, making it the 7th-most populous county in the state and List ...

. In years past, during the winter months wealthy owners in the

Eastern United States The Eastern United States, commonly referred to as the American East, Eastern America, or simply the East, is the region of the United States to the east of the Mississippi River. In some cases the term may refer to a smaller area or the East C ...

often shipped their horses to Pleasanton for training. Notable races run annually at Pleasanton include: * California Wine Stakes * Livermore Valley Wine Stakes * Alameda County Fillies & Mares * Alamedan Handicap * Sam J. Whiting Memorial Handicap * Juan Gonzalez Memorial Stakes * Everett Nevin Alameda County Overnight Stakes

References

External links

1960 aerial photograph of Pleasanton Fairgrounds Racetrack

Cartography Associates - 1878 image of Pleasanton Racetrack
{{Pleasanton, California Horse racing venues in California Pleasanton, California Sports venues in Alameda County, California 1858 establishments in California Sports venues completed in 1858