Fairplex Park Racetrack
Fairplex Park Racetrack is a 5/8 mile horse track in Pomona, California. It is home to 17 days of live thoroughbred, quarter horse and Appaloosa racing during the annual Los Angeles County Fair. Fairplex Park Racetrack is part of the larger county fair grounds that cover 487 acres.
Fairplex Park Racetrack hosts several stakes events each year. These races are held in conjunction with the County Fair. Among the most prominent are:
- Derby Trial Stakes
- Beau Brummel Stakes
- Governor’s Cup
- Pio Pico Stakes
- Barretts Debutante
- Barretts Juvenile
- Las Madrinas Handicap
- Pomona Derby
Fairplex Park Racetrack Facts
- Main Track: Five-eighths mile, oval
- Distance from last turn to finish line: 757 feet
History of Fairplex Park Racetrack
1922 - Preparations were held to make the Los Angeles County Fair a reality. Ground was broken on a fairground site. Access roads were built. A half-mile racetrack and a grandstand seating 4,000 were constructed. Other structures constructed were cattle barns, livestock buildings and barn and an administration building. The first L.A. County Fair opened on Oct. 17 and ran through Oct. 21. About 49,461 people visited the Fair. Harness racing, chariot races and an airplane wing walking exhibit were major highlights that year.
1925 - Fair attendance topped the 100,000 mark for the first time. It was the first time the Fair was held in September instead of October.
1933 - Pari-mutuel wagering was legalized in the state. The Fair meeting was the first in Southern California to allow fans to bet on horseracing. Attendance leapt to 334,759.
1935 - Three new horse barns were constructed in the livestock area. The grandstand added dressing rooms, a stage and a sunken bandstand.
1940s - The fair grounds were used for War effort purposes.
1985 - The racetrack was expanded from one-half mile to five-eighths of a mile. A single-day record attendance of 177,612 people visited the Fair on Sept. 21.
1986 - The track was named Fairplex Parkas the grandstand and clubhouse facilities were renovated. Lighting was added at the track as night harness racing made its seasonal debut in Pomona.
1987 - Harness racing was discontinued.
1990 - The Barretts Equine Sales Complex opened with its first thoroughbred sale. The Fair was expanded from 18 to 24 days, and horseracing was extended from 18 to 19 days.
