Jerome County Fairgrounds host first horse races of this summer

JEROME, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — The Jerome County Fairgrounds were packed with hundreds of people on Sunday afternoon for the summer’s first day of horse racing. The 11 races were hosted by the Jerome Horse Racing Association and was free for the public to attend. Not to mention you could end up leaving with more money than you came in with because betting is allowed.

The races ranged in distance from 250 to 350 yards meaning that they were essentially all out sprints for the horses.

Despite not having their usual grandstand set up as it is in the process of being rebuilt. Fans still lined the areas just outside the track and when post times were announced and the jockeys would start guiding their horses to the starting gate, many people took the opportunity to look at these animals up close rather than just as a speeding blur.

Jockey Roman Preciado raced in four of the eleven races on Sunday and spoke about his love for the sport.

“I rode my first paint horse actually ever in my career today and I had a lot of fun. I have this one mare that I ride in Oregon named Cute Girl and she’s a great mare. Anytime you get on one that lays it all out on the line for you, you can’t ask for a better horse,” Preciado said.

Don’t worry if you missed the races on Sunday because the Jerome Horse Racing Association is hosting another race day in two weeks on June 18. This event will also be free to the public and begins at 1:00 p.m., but gates open at noon so arrive early for a good seat!

Copyright 2023 KMVT. All rights reserved.