Thoroughbred horse racing returns to Mahoning Valley

A little over a century ago, three prominent Mahoning Valley residents, Sen. David Tod, Atty. David Arrel and H.H. Stambaugh established the Southern Park Race Track, which became the region’s sports landmark of its time.

The half-mile track was used for thoroughbred horse racing and high school track meets. The 55-acre site near McClurg Road consisted of stables, grandstand, outbuildings, a dance hall, picnic pavilions and baseball diamonds.

Today, Southern Park Stables, 126 Washington Boulevard, stands as a reminder of those fun-filled days in the Valley’s majestic past. The property was donated to the Boardman Park District in 1993 by Janie S. Jenkins, one of the most prominent reporters and feature writers for The Vindicator for 43 years, who had lived there since 1946. Jenkins died in April 2012.

The park’s website tells this wonderful story.

Were the lifelong equestrienne — she continued to ride well into her 80s — and animal lover alive today, she would have found a way of commenting (in her own inimitable style) about the return of thoroughbred horse racing to the Mahoning Valley.

On Monday, Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course in Austintown, owned by Penn National Gaming, one of the most prominent gaming companies in North America, will launch its thoroughbred horse-racing season.

It’s the reason the racino exists. Without horse racing, there would be no slot-machine gambling. On the other hand, without the revenue from the slots, Ohio’s horse-racing industry would continue to struggle — as it has for many years.

The casino opened to much fanfare and public anticipation Sept. 17, and thus far it has been a roaring success. Penn National’s revenue projections have been met or surpassed, leading company officials to conclude that the four days of horse racing a week from Monday until April 2015 also will bring out the crowds.

The Mahoning Valley’s roots in horse racing run deep.

It is noteworthy that unlike the other six racinos in Ohio — there are four Vegas-style casinos — the Hollywood race course in Austintown has a new track. By some estimates, the last one was built 50 years ago.

That means it has the potential of putting Ohio on the national and international racing map if it is marketed properly.

The purse

In the end, however, horse racing is all about the purse, which is where the Ohio Racing Commission comes in. As we have argued in the past, it in the state’s interest to attract as many top-rated horses as possible.

That means boosting the purses so owners and trainers of costly horses will consider running them here.

While a winter racing season may seem strange for Valley residents used to going to area tracks in warm weather, there’s this reality: Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course will have the only thoroughbred track in this part of the country open for the next several of months.

On Monday, another chapter in the region’s entertainment history begins.

Vindicator Writer Robert Connelly, who has reported extensively on the racino, will preview the start of racing with stories on Sunday and Monday.

As the excitement builds, we sound this cautionary note — just as we did prior to the grand opening:

There are a goodly number of residents who cannot afford to gamble away their money. We would hope an effort is made by social service agencies and the faith community to warn individuals who do not have extra money for entertainment to think twice.