MVRC LIVE Officials praise the start of live horse racing

Inaugural Race

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November 24, 2014 marked the first horse race to take place at the Mahoning Valley Race Course.

AUSTINTOWN — Penn National Gaming Inc. and local officials thanked many of the people who were instrumental to Hollywood Gaming coming to the Valley in a ceremony before the first race.

Officials as well as trainers remarked that the one-mile thoroughbred track was open for training last week even with the winter storms.

Joe Poole, a trainer with stalls in Austintown, said he had one horse in a race and had put a claim on a horse in the inaugural race.

Claim races are when every horse in the race is available for purchase at a set price.

As Poole looked on at the horse, he said the facility has been good to horsemen so far.

He explained that as the purses in the state have increased, Ohio horsemen having to keep getting good horses to run.

Due to increased and stabilized purses in the Buckeye State, interest has grown from East Coast states as well as Kentucky and Illinois, historically strong horse states.

"The way that casinos are taking off, you're going to have to have those better horses," said Poole.