Horse racing in the United States Horses and inspired their name. With the exception of the longer, distance contests, Quarter Horse races are run flat out, with the horses running at top speed for the duration. There is less jockeying for position, as turns are rare, and many races end with several contestants grouped together at the wire. The track surface is similar to that of Thoroughbred racing and usually consists of dirt. The traditional high point of US horse racing is the Kentucky Derby, held on the first Saturday of May at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Together, the Derby; the Preakness Stakes, held two
Manor Downs Manor Downs Manor Downs was a horse racetrack located outside Manor, Texas, United States. It is Texas's oldest pari-mutuel horse racetrack. Live racing in the Spring featured both quarter horse and thoroughbred racing. Simulcast racing was also available. Frances Carr and Sam Cutler began development of Manor Downs in 1975 on 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