GRANTS PASS, Ore. — The safety rail came from the Los Angeles County fairgrounds. The camera towers from another long-gone racetrack in the Golden State. The horse ambulance? Bought in Kentucky.
Everything about Grants Pass Downs has been reclaimed with the exception of one thing: its mission to be the safest and most community-focused racetrack in the nation.
For 15 weeks a year, this corner of the Josephine County fairgrounds is the hub of horse racing in Oregon, a circuit short on money but overflowing with camaraderie and compassion, which have often been missing at the sport’s richer and more glamorous racetracks.