Columbus, OH – Eldorado Scioto Downs kicks off their highly anticipated 2026 racing season on Thursday, May 7. Opening week races will be held Thursday-Saturday with a 5:15 p.m. first post and continue on a Tuesday-Saturday schedule through July.
sheets are now available for the week at horsemen.ustrotting.com with the first box closing on Monday (May 4) at 10 a.m.
“We’re looking forward to a historic year at the track,” said Scioto’s Director of Racing Jason Roth. “We have our cornerstone events like the Jim Ewart and Charlie Hill (Memorial races for aged horses) but to close out our regular season hosting Ohio Super Night and then to finish off the year with the Breeders Crown, it will be a season to remember.”
Qualifiers will once again be shown on RTN via streaming services such as Roku, Amazon FireStick and online at www.rtn.tv, with program pages available on the Scioto Downs website. The first qualifiers will be held on Friday (May 1) at noon.
A complete race schedule can be viewed here.
Major event days on tap for the 2026 season at Scioto include:
July 4 – The $150,000 Next Generation events for 2-year-old Ohio-sired horses
July 18 – the Moni Maker & Nadia Lobell for 3-year-old fillies; the Cleopatra & #SendItIn Invitationals for older pacers
July 30 – August 1 – State Fair races for 2 & 3-year-old Ohio-sired horses
September 12 – Ohio Super Night (Sires Stakes Championships); Jim Ewart & Charlie Hill Memorials for aged horses
October 16 & 17 – Breeders Crown eliminations
October 23 & 24 – Breeders Crown finals
New for the 2026 season, both the Pick 4 (offered three times each night) and the Pick 5 (twice) will have a low 14% takeout.
The 91-day regular season 2026 Eldorado Scioto Downs race meet runs from Thursday, May 7 through Saturday, September 19. Races will be held Tuesday-Saturday with special holiday cards on Memorial Day and Labor Day instead of the Tuesday card that week. More information about racing at Scioto can be found on the Eldorado Scioto Downs website.