Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races is a race track and casino just outside the eastern city limits of Charles Town, West Virginia, owned by Gaming and Leisure Properties and operated by Penn National Gaming. It features a six furlong thoroughbred horse racing facility that is home of the West Virginia Breeders' Classic. It is one of the busiest thoroughbred tracks in the country with over 240 racing dates scheduled for 2012. It generally runs a 5 days a week schedule (four days per week in July & August and some major holidays). It also contains over 3,000 slot machines, and table games.
Ownership history
The Charles Town Race Track was opened on December 2, 1933 by the Shenandoah Valley Jockey Club. It has changed owners over the years and in 1997 was purchased by Penn National Gaming, Inc.
Horse racing
The Sprint Festival
In 2008, the track inaugurated The Sprint Festival, four open stakes worth a total of $500,000. These are the 4½ furlong $200,000 Charles Town Invitational Dash for colts and geldings three-years-old and up, the $100,000 Lady Charles Town for 3-year-old fillies at 4½ furlongs, the $100,000 West Virginia Sprint Derby for 3-year-olds at 4½ furlongs, and the $100,000 Red Legend Stakes for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs.
West Virginia Breeders' Classics
In 1987, NFL Hall of Famer Sam Huff organized the first West Virginia Breeders’ Classics. Local favorite Onion Juice won the inaugural running and the state’s first $100,000 purse.
- Biggest race of the day is the $500,000 West Virginia Breeders' Classic.
- Total purses for the day combine for a total $1,000,000.
Charles Town Classic
In 2009, it inaugurated the Charles Town Classic for older horses running a distance of one and 1/8 mile. The purse was "tiered" and was determined by the graded status of the winner. The purse's range was from between $500,000 and $1,000,000. Researcher won the 1st and 2nd Charles Town Classic races. In 2013, the purse was increased to $1,500,000 with the winner receiving $1,000,000, making the Grade 2 Charles Town Classic one of the richest Thoroughbred race contested in U.S. surpassed only by the Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup World Championships. The race has attracted top-class performers including Game On Dude and Shared Belief.
Other facilities
Hotel
Also on the property is a 150-room hotel, The Inn at Charles Town, and several dining facilities, including a food court, track side restaurant, and the Skyline Terrace. However, the previously mentioned dining facilities are not located in the hotel.
Table games
On December 5, 2009, a second referendum was held on table games and this time voters approved the referendum to allow table games at the venue. As of July 2, 2010, the facility, for years known as "Charles Town Races & Slots," was renamed "Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races".
See also
- List of casinos in West Virginia
- List of casinos in the United States
- List of casino hotels
References
External links
- Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races
- Ronney W. Brown Racing