Manor Downs
Encyclopedia
Manor Downs is a horse
racetrack located outside Manor, Texas
, United States
. It is Texas's oldest pari-mutuel horse racetrack. Live racing in the Spring features both quarter horse and thoroughbred
racing. Simulcast
racing is shown year round.
Frances Carr and Sam Cutler began development of Manor Downs in 1975 on 44 acres (178,061.8 m²) of land that had an old horse race track on it. They initially planned for Manor Downs to be a horse training stable and fairground facility.
Manor Downs originally hosted just quarter horse racing, but when pari-mutuel betting was legalized, the track was upgraded for thoroughbred racing in order to qualify for a pari-mutuel license
Manor Downs is licensed as a class 2 racetrack in Texas
. A class 2 racetrack is a racetrack on which racing is conducted for no more than 44 days in a calendar year.
Manor Downs has also been the site for concerts through the years including Farm Aid 2 and the Grateful Dead
.
As horse racing's popularity waned with the slow economy of the late-2000s recession, Manor Downs ceased operations in late July 2010 rather than continue losing money.
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
racetrack located outside Manor, Texas
Manor, Texas
Manor is a city in Travis County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Austin-Round Rock metropolitan area. The population was 1,204 at the 2000 census; it was 1,877 in the 2005 census estimate. The approximate population for the City of Manor is 5,500, which is calculated from the number of...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is Texas's oldest pari-mutuel horse racetrack. Live racing in the Spring features both quarter horse and 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...
racing. Simulcast
Simulcast
Simulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
racing is shown year round.
Frances Carr and Sam Cutler began development of Manor Downs in 1975 on 44 acres (178,061.8 m²) of land that had an old horse race track on it. They initially planned for Manor Downs to be a horse training stable and fairground facility.
Manor Downs originally hosted just quarter horse racing, but when pari-mutuel betting was legalized, the track was upgraded for thoroughbred racing in order to qualify for a pari-mutuel license
Manor Downs is licensed as a class 2 racetrack in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. A class 2 racetrack is a racetrack on which racing is conducted for no more than 44 days in a calendar year.
Manor Downs has also been the site for concerts through the years including Farm Aid 2 and the Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
.
As horse racing's popularity waned with the slow economy of the late-2000s recession, Manor Downs ceased operations in late July 2010 rather than continue losing money.
Racing
The following graded stakes are run at Manor Downs:- Grade I Manor Downs Futurity $300,000
- Grade II Longhorn Futurity $200,000
- Grade II Manor Downs Derby $145,540
- Grade III Longhorn Derby $121,560