Columbus, OH – Lots of activities, aimed at kids and families, are on tap for Saturday (Aug. 1) at Eldorado Scioto Downs to create a fair environment as the Ohio State Fair Races head to the track for the weekend.
Each of the following will be located near the program stand on Saturday:
– a bounce house (also available Friday, July 30)
– the ‘Bring the Farm to You’ petting zoo
– ‘Paint a Horse’ station
– ‘Name the Foal’ contest
– horseshoe decorating station
The 1st Annual Corgi Races will be held trackside with the first Corgi race to be held after the first harness horse race. Pre-registration is required and can be done through the event on Eldorado Scioto Downs Facebook page. Dog check-in begins at 5 p.m.
The Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association will also be conducting their TV & Tickets give-a-way. Enter for a chance to win one of five grand prizes, including a 55” tv, Roku stick, one month subscription for RTN (to watch harness racing from tracks across North America) and tickets to a local college football game.
On the racetrack, Ohio State Fair races will be front and center during three live racing days this week (Thursday through Saturday), running concurrently with the Ohio State Fair, which takes place July 29-August 9 at the Ohio Expo Center. Total purses for all 12 divisions will be just over $1.5-million.
The 2-year-old trotting races for fillies and colts will take place Thursday (July 29). The Ohio State Trot for colts will go off as races 4, 5 and 10 with purses totaling $167,200. The Ohio Fairs Trot for fillies totals $164,500 in purses, with races going off as 1, 7 and 11.
For the first time in the history of Ohio State Fair races, there will be aged events. Aged mare trotters will go for $65,000 in the Don Millar Trot and aged mare pacers for $67,500 in the Senator Max H. Dennis Pace on Friday (July 31). Filly Friday will also host two divisions of the State Fair Managers Pace for 2-year-olds going for $161,700; three divisions of 3-year-olds going for $152,200 in the Ohio First Lady Pace; and the Pride of Ohio Trot splitting into two divisions going for a total of $146,700.
Saturday is for the colts, with the Jim Buchy Aged Trot and the Robert Schmitz Aged Pace, joining the 3-year-old colts and 2-year-old pacing colt divisions. The Director of Agriculture Pace for 3-year-olds is split into three divisions, going for a total of $159,482, as races 5, 7 and 8. The Governors Cup for 3-year-old trotters split into two divisions, races 3 and 6, going for $147,000. Two divisions of the Buckeye State Pace for 2-year-old pacers will go for $164,540 as races 1 and 10.
The 91-day 2026 Eldorado Scioto Downs regular season runs through Saturday, September 19. Races are held Tuesday-Saturday, with a special holiday card on Labor Day instead of the Tuesday, card that week. The track will then re-open for the Breeders Crown, with eliminations held October 16-17 and the finals October 23-24. More information about all the racing action at Scioto can be found on the Eldorado Scioto Downs website.
OHHA hosting TV and Tickets, Youth Night at Scioto Downs Saturday
Grove City, OH – In conjunction with the Ohio State Fair stakes races that serve as the first leg of the Ohio Triple Crown, the Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association is hosting a TV and Tickets giveaway and Youth Night at Eldorado Scioto Downs on Saturday (Aug. 1).
Great prizes will be up for grabs in the TV and Tickets giveaway. The five grand prizes include tickets to a major college football game, 55-inch television, Roku stick, and a one-month subscription to Racetrack Television Network. The contest is free to enter and open to anyone 18 years and older. No purchase is required, but participants must be present to win. Entry forms will be available at the OHHA table. There is a limit of one entry per person, and each entry is limited to one prize.
Participants will be selected randomly from the entry drum before each of the five designated giveaway races. The number of participants will be based on the number of horses in each giveaway race. Those selected will draw an envelope that will have the name of a horse for the corresponding race. If that horse wins, the contestant will win the prize package. All other contestants will receive a prize for participating.
The Youth Night gathering, held from 5:30-9 p.m., welcomes kids to participate in paddock tours and horseshoe decorating while getting immersed in the exciting world of harness racing. Current OHHA youth members who bring their membership ID will receive a free T-shirt.
Scioto Downs is hosting several other family-friendly activities that night, including a bounce house, petting zoo, and Corgi races.
First-race post time for Saturday’s 16-race card is 5:25 p.m.
For more information:
Wes Mayberry
wmayberry@ohha.com
614-221-3650
The Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association (OHHA) is a non-profit organization serving Standardbred horse owners, breeders, trainers, drivers, and fans who participate in the sport of harness racing in the Buckeye State.
OHHA was founded in 1953. The mission of the Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association is to preserve, protect, promote, and serve the entire Standardbred industry in Ohio and beyond.