The Oregon race track of Crooked River is situated on the Crook County Fairgrounds in the town of Prineville and races for a few days in mid-July. The earliest record of racing in the area was in 1880 when a rudimentary 4 furlong track was marked out towards the south of the town. By the dawn of the new century an 8 furlong track was formed on the grounds of the present day Crook County High School, although the track only lasted a handful of years before yet another new track was developed on the Fairgrounds as part of the effort to launch an annual Fair. For the next half a century the Fair was the highlight of the social calendar in the area, with the rodeo an eagerly anticipated event. In 1964 quarter horse races were added to the programme, and within 2 years thoroughbred racing was launched, with the additional bonus of a pari-mutuel betting system. The year 1979 was pivotal in the Fairs history because significant improvements to the facilities took place, including a new grandstand, new paddocks and new jockeys room. Moving forward almost half a century, in 2015 the season stretched from 15th to 18th July, which is the normal patter of 4 days of racing annually. The 5 furlong oval dirt track runs its thoroughbred races under floodlights, with the highlight of the meeting being the Ben Woodward Memorial. The town is known as the cowboy capital of Oregon and offers a series of events celebrating the state’s rich wild-west heritage. The first such ‘Roundup’ events were held in 1916 and have taken place annually ever since, although racing did cease during the Second World War. By 1945 the Crooked River Roundups had returned. |
