Horse Racing on the Rogue

Horse racing has been around for many years, even in our very own town of Grants Pass. Madison Heth guides readers on a trip through the Grants Pass Downs history, exploring where it started, where it is to this day, and where it is going.

Horse Racing on the Rogue

By Madison Heth

Horse racing, in the big picture, is most commonly associated with the famous Kentucky Derby or, for those more knowledgeable of the horse world, the great names of the industry: Secretariat, Seabiscuit, and Man O’ War. It may even come to be a surprise that our very own Grants Pass has been a part of the horse racing industry for multiple decades-- decades that have not all been sunshine and rainbows.

It was in 1934, according to Grants Pass Downs webpage, that Grants Pass held its first race meet during the county fair, but it was a man named Don Jackson who established the Southern Oregon Horse Racing Association, and ultimately brought the racing industry into our small town of Grants Pass.

The newly improved Grants Pass Downs. Image Credit: Racingontherogue.org

In a 2010 article with the Daily Courier, Don Jackson shared his story. Jackson was fifteen years of age in 1940. He already knew what it was to work at an early age. One job was a paper deliverer for the Daily Courier. The Great Depression was the dictator of America at the time, and his parents did what they could to keep the family afloat. As he grew, he began working for gas and oil companies–Shell mostly– after becoming intrigued by hydraulics, and he even bought five acres to plant his own Shell station. His station lay at the edge of town and found its greatest business in logging companies and their families. Jackson found his station becoming very prosperous, allowing him to begin buying property. One of his properties was located past Murphy along the Applegate-- a 160-acre ranch, which would prove the start to the growth and popularization of horse racing in Grants Pass.

Don Jackson and Flying Lark. Image Credit: Racingontherogue.org

By 1965, Jackson began raising racehorses with the help of his veterinarian friend, Doc Wood. Up until 1969, races were held at the fair but, finally, the new track was built. It was also in 1969 that Jackson acquired a colt: Flying Lark. The thoroughbred led the nation in wins for two years in the 1980s. Credit goes to Flying Lark for his talent and wins which put Grants Pass Downs on the map.

In Apr. 2022, with the falling through of the Dutch Bros founder, Travis Boersma’s, attempt at developing the Grants Pass Downs as a main racing and entertainment venue with the building of The Flying Lark, the upcoming 2022 races were shut down. The Flying Lark, named after Grants Pass Downs’ most famous horse, was to be a restaurant and old-fashioned “Historic Horse Racing Machine” venue. However, in its finishing days, it was deemed by the Oregon Department of Justice as an illegal casino, throwing a wrench in the anticipated upcoming 2022 horse racing season. At the time, Boersma stated in a KTVL-10 article, “Saving horse racing in Oregon has always been one of my top priorities. Moving forward, it’s my sincere hope the horsemen's associations, private investors and the state can come together to find a path to continuing this sport.”

With last year’s hope for horse racing in Grants Pass looking dim, the announcement of a spring, summer and fall racing season in 2023 was both a pleasant surprise and a shock for Grants Pass. Though the spring and summer races are over, the fall races began Sept. 3, and will continue into Oct. This is a positive sound for the future of Grants Pass horse racing.

An image mid-horse race at the Grants Pass Downs. Image Credit: Racingontherogue.org

A jockey at Grants Pass Downs. Image Credit: Racingontherogue.org

According to the Racing on the Rogue website, the upcoming races at the Grants Pass Downs are available to the community to come and enjoy on Saturdays and Sundays of Oct. 1, 2, 8, 9. Admission is $4.00 and kids 12 and under are free. Free parking is also offered for the races.

For those interested, go and enjoy the races, and when you do, acknowledge the history that led Grants Pass to having a spot in the racing world, and appreciate that the races are still being held to this day.

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