Live thoroughbred racing is back at Mahoning Valley Race Course, with the first post coming Monday, October 19. The Youngstown track's return kicks off a season that will stretch from October through April, giving local racing fans racing to look forward to all winter long.
The season is set to run from October through April. The track, as WKBN reported, confirmed the October 19 return date for live racing at the Youngstown venue.
Bettors have a few ways to get in on the action once the gates open. Wagers can be placed with mutuel tellers, on self-serve kiosks, or directly through a HollywoodRaces.com account. Online wagering is also available to anyone connected to the venue's onsite Wi-Fi signal, WKBN reported. For fans who want year-round action beyond the live cards, the venue also runs simulcast horse racing from tracks around the country.
A Fast Track Built for Speed
Mahoning Valley Race Course itself is a one-mile, 80-foot-wide oval with a 1,000-foot stretch, according to details posted on the track's horsemen's information page. The surface is banked at 3 percent in the stretches and 6 percent through the turns, a configuration the venue says is built for thoroughbred racing.
The October return marks the start of the season, which is set to run through April.
Stakes Race Lands Days Into the Meet
Just five days after live racing resumes, Mahoning Valley is set to host the Best of Ohio Endurance Stakes on Saturday, October 24. According to racing.ohio.gov, the race carries a $100,000 purse and is open to 3-year-olds and up. The same state event page lists the race's distance at 1 1/4 miles.
The state's thoroughbred stakes schedule simply encourages fans to plan a visit around one of these marquee events, without detailing admission or post times for the October 24 card. Those specifics, along with other logistics for the season's return, were not addressed in materials reviewed for this story.
With a full season ahead and a stakes race already on the books for its first week back, Mahoning Valley's return gives Mahoning Valley racing fans a reason to start planning trips to the track well into the coming spring.
