Pinnacle Race Course
Encyclopedia
| Horse Race Track | |
|---|---|
| Pinnacle Race Course | |
| Location | Huron Township Huron Charter Township, Michigan Huron Charter Township is a charter township of Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 15,879 at the 2010 census.-Geography:... , Wayne County Wayne County, Michigan -History:Wayne County was one of the first counties formed when the Northwest Territory was organized. It was named for the American general "Mad Anthony" Wayne. It originally encompassed the entire area of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, as well as small sections that are now part of northern... , Michigan, USA Michigan Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake".... |
| Owned by | Jerry Campbell |
| Race type | 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... |
| Principal Races – Pinnacle Race Course | |
| Michigan Derby | |
Pinnacle Race Course is a thoroughbred horse racing track located in Huron Township, Michigan
Huron Charter Township, Michigan
Huron Charter Township is a charter township of Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 15,879 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
, southwest of Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
off of Interstate 275
Interstate 275
Interstate 275 may refer to:*Interstate 275 , a loop through Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Bradenton in Florida*Interstate 275 , a western bypass of Detroit, Michigan...
. The track is just south of the Detroit Metro Airport.
History and information
The track opened on July 18, 2008. The track was rushed into operation in the summer of 2008 to replace Muskegon's Great Lakes Downs on the Michigan racing schedule. Magna Entertainment CorporationMagna Entertainment Corporation
MI Developments Inc. , formerly known as Magna Entertainment Corp., is a gambling and horse racing company in North America with several holdings in Europe and Australia, and is North America's largest thoroughbred racing company, based on revenue and holdings...
closed Great Lakes Downs in November 2007 after years of financial losses.
Physical attributes
The track has a one-mile dirt oval, with plans to build a 7/8-mile turf course by 2010.The track opened with a 1,000-seat temporary grandstand, with a 4,000-seat permanent grandstand expected to be complete by 2010.
Racing
The inaugural season of thoroughbred racing started July 18, 2008, ending November 2, 2008. The long-term plans call for racing annually from March through November, with the Michigan Derby for three-year-olds running in April, as a prep race for the Kentucky DerbyKentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
.
In 2010 live racing was cut to Saturdays and Sundays only, 44 days in all, due to a budget reduction in the state's racing commission. The track also has reportedly not paid many of their bills in 2010 and had their utilities cut-off for a time and as of February 2011 their website was down.