Charles Town Raceway
Charles Town Raceway & Slots is a horseracing and gaming complex in Charles Town, West Virginia. It has a six furlong horse track that features live thoroughbred racing.
Charles Town Raceway is one of the region's fastest growing entertainment and gaming destinations. Aside from offering some of the best thoroughbred racing action in West Virginia, it also offers slots and sweepstakes attractions.
Charles Town Raceway is the home of the famous West Virginia Breeders' Classic. This showcases top state bred horses in a series of stakes races.
It also hosts some of the most prestigious stakes racing events in the state. Among these are:
- Charles Town Dash
- Shenandoah Stakes
- Robert G. Leavitt Memorial Stakes
- Sadie Hawkins Stakes
- Frank Gall Memorial Stakes
- West Virginia Futurity Stakes
The track has recently undergone an extensive restoration. It now has a new racing surface, banked turns, new high-tech lighting and a major-league stadium style drainage system designed to reduce cancellations caused by bad weather.
Since taking over the track in 1997, Penn National Gaming has renovated the Grandstand and barns, built jockey quarters and a new paddock. The number of race dates was increased from 210 to 260, while the number of races per day increased from nine to as many as 12.
Furthermore, purses have grown from $22,000 per day to an average of $200,000, and the number of horse owners and trainers has grown from 2,400 to 13,000.
Charlestown Raceway Records
| Distance | Horse | Weight | Time | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 ½ Furlongs | Immortal Eyes | 122 lbs | 0:50.09 | April 16, 2011 |
| 6 ½ Furlongs | Lucy's Bob Boy | 119 lbs | 1:16.44 | December 11, 2012 |
| 7 Furlongs | Good Lord | 118 lbs | 1:22.68 | June 30, 2012 |
| 1 1/16 Miles | My Sister Pearl | 111 lbs | 1:43.83 | January 4, 2001 |
| 1 1/8 Miles | Moreno | 118 lbs | 1:48.81 | April 18, 2015 |
Charles Town Raceway Information
- Main Track: Six furlongs
- Distance from last turn to finish line: 660 feet
History of Charles Town Raceway
1933 - Charles Town opened on December 2. At the time of its opening, it was the only operating track in America.
1960 - The Charles Town grandstand and clubhouse were completely enclosed and heated.
On April 27, Presidential candidate John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jackie, made an appearance for a Democratic Party rally held at the track during the campaign.
1972 - Charles Town racetrack was sold to Shenandoah Corporation. Year-round racing in Shenandoah Downs was then moved to Charles Town. Shenandoah Downs is still used as a training track.
1979 - Sunday racing was introduced.
1987 - The West Virginia Breeders Classics was started by football Hall-of-Famer, Sam Huff. The races of this prestigious event are still run on the track each year and showcase the top state bred horses in a series of stakes races.
1997 - Penn National Gaming Inc. bought the racetrack.
1998 - Longshots, the multi-million dollar simulcast center, was unveiled in January.
2004 - Extensive renovation was undertaken on the track.
2008 - The venue launched "The Sprint Festival," which added four highly competitive open stakes contests to its annual racing schedule. The same year, an on-site hotel featuring 153 rooms opened to host racing fans and visitors.
2009 - The signature Charles Town Classic made its debut as a premium 1 1/8-mile race for older thoroughbreds. Local voters also passed a referendum to authorize the addition of traditional live table games at the facility.
2010 - The property underwent a comprehensive re-branding, changing its official name to Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races to reflect its new identity as a full-scale gaming and racing resort.
2013 - The Charles Town Classic elevated its status on the national stage when its purse was increased to $1,500,000, turning the event into one of the most lucrative thoroughbred stakes races in the country.
2019 - The facility expanded its gaming options by opening a sportsbook, allowing guests to place wagers on major sporting events alongside the regular live racing schedule.
2024 - The Charles Town Oaks, a signature race for three-year-old fillies that began in 2009, achieved a major milestone by being upgraded to a prestigious Grade II stakes race with an increased purse of $750,000.