Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack and Resort is a thoroughbred

Thoroughbred

The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...

 racetrack and casino resort located southwest of Chester, West Virginia

Chester, West Virginia

Chester is a city in Hancock County, West Virginia, United States, along the Ohio River. It is part of the Weirton–Steubenville, WV-OH Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,592 at the 2000 census. Chester was established in 1896, but not incorporated until 1907. The city is...

 (Wellsville, Ohio

Wellsville, Ohio

Wellsville is a village in Columbiana County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 4,133 at the 2000 census.-History:...

, across the Ohio River

Ohio River

The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...

 is actually closer), and owned by MTR Gaming Group

MTR Gaming Group

MTR Gaming Group Inc. is a hospitality company based in Chester, West Virginia. The company holds, mostly through several subsidiaries, hotels, casinos and sports facilities...

.

History and information

The name Mountaineer Race Track is new but the track existed long before it was named Mountaineer. The track was known as Waterford Park prior to 1990. The track was authorized to have slot machines and installed them in 1994.

With the revenue that a casino of 3,200 slots, table games, and a hotel resort provides, the Mountaineer Gaming Group (Nasdaq: MNTG), the owners of Mountaineer are able to offer very good purses. The reputation of the track changed from being one of an old, run-down facility which raced only claimers to a track which was decent and respectable.

Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack and Resort's image is further enhanced by nationwide coverage of the track's West Virginia Derby

West Virginia Derby

The West Virginia Derby is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Mountaineer Race Track in Chester, West Virginia. The race is open to three-year-old horses and is run over a distance of 1⅛ miles...

, a Grade II race that has significantly grown in stature and purse in the past decade. The 2010 race is scheduled for August 7, 2010. This first Saturday in August traditionally has been the day the Derby takes place, and is the only day of the calendar that the track offers afternoon racing. Otherwise, the races are run at night, at 7pm (Eastern Time).

Mountaineer announced the opening of its casino table games for December 20, 2007. The resort furnishes its gamblers with 50 casino table games. Among these are blackjack, three card poker, and roulette.

Physical attributes

The track has a main dirt track with a one mile oval. The turf course is seven furlongs long and inside the dirt. The track is curved slightly in the front stretch. The track also has a large casino and resort on site.

Racing

With the construction of the casino and resort at Mountaineer, the quality of racing has increased hugely. The track has been able to offer purses much higher than those in neighboring states and thus have attracted larger field and the products of such a higher parimutuel handle and better attendance. Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack and Resort had been considered as a possible host for the 2009 Breeders' Cup

Breeders' Cup

The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Thoroughbred horse races, most but not all Grade I, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was a single-day event; starting in 2007, it expanded to two days. The location...

, but it was awarded to Santa Anita

Santa Anita Park

Santa Anita Park is a thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent racing events in the United States during the winter and in spring. With its backdrop of the purple San Gabriel Mountains, it is considered by many as the world's most beautiful race...

 .
The track runs many stakes and overnight handicaps. Here, in order, are the stakes that ran at Mountaineer in 2005:

• Panhandle Handicap
• Hancock County Handicap
• Waterford Park Handicap
• I.C. Light Memorial Day Handicap
• Decoration Day Handicap
• Ohio Valley Handicap
• Slipton Fell Handicap
• Golden Sylvia Handicap
• Coca-Cola Independence Day Stakes
• Firecracker Stakes
• Mountain State Stakes
• West Virginia Derby
  West Virginia Derby
  The West Virginia Derby is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Mountaineer Race Track in Chester, West Virginia. The race is open to three-year-old horses and is run over a distance of 1⅛ miles...
  
  (Grade II)
• West Virginia Governor's Stakes
• Harvey Arneault Memorial Breeders' Cup Stakes
• West Virginia Senate President's Breeders' Cup
• West Virginia House of Delegates Speaker's Cup
• West Virginia Legislature Chairman's Cup
• West Virginia Secretary of State
• Mountaineer Juvenile Stakes
• Mountaineer Juvenile Fillies Stakes
• Labor Day Stakes
• Summer Finale Stakes
• Fall Stakes
• Autumn Leaves Stakes
• Mountaineer Mile Handicap
• Sophomore Sprint Championship Stakes
• Christmas Stakes
• New Year's Eve Stakes

External links

• MTRGaming.com - Official Site