After a year and a half of demolition and construction, Belterra Park, owned by Pinnacle Entertainment, is off to the races. The Anderson Township property, opening Thursday, sits on 122 acres. It features 1,500 games, six restaurants, the River Downs Club and a VIP lounge. The first day of live racing is scheduled for May 8. Here's the racing schedule:
Belterra says it has invested hundreds of millions of dollars into the Cincinnati region. A total of 3,200 tradespeople worked on the project. Three hundred fifty were new construction jobs. The company says the project created more than 800 permanent positions with annual payroll and benefits topping $23 million. Available positions are posted here.
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Highlights:
- 1 mile dirt track
- Ohio's only turf track (to open in 2015)
- River Downs Club 8,500 square feet
- Grandstands 4,500 square feet
- New paddock with 14 stalls
- 17 new barns
- New jockey's quarters
Belterra, was inspired by the term Terra Bella, which means "beautiful land" in Portuguese. Its restaurants include:
History:
The original track, built under the name Coney Island Race Track in 1925, cost $1 million. Seabiscuit is perhaps the most famous horse to race at River Downs. The horse made two appearances at River Downs in 1936. The first horse to ever step on the track was Black Gold, a horse that later won the Kentucky Derby and four other derbies.
