Turfway Park

I went down for some live racing last Friday. I have always been a fan of coming down here once or twice a season. It’s gritty and dirty but that’s all part of what makes it fun. They have $ 2 dollar 24oz drafts of the cheap stuff and when I am there that is what I feel like I should be drinking. They have a band on Fridays and the place was pretty packed. Depending on how you bet it can be a lot of entertainment for a cheap price. I would recommend it!

$ 1 Beers, $ 1 bets, $ 1 hot dogs, on both Saturday and Friday nights. A new gaming parlor with 250 slot machines is coming in April. Live music on Friday and Saturday nights. This is a hidden gem of Cincinnati. Only come here if you want to have a fantastic time at a great price.

I have lived in this area my whole life and have attended the Spiral Stakes for over 30 years. It makes me sad that this once grand event has become such an embarrassingly shoddy day.
In past years the Spiral Stakes was heavily promoted and very well attended. We have had the same seats for years, and we needed them because the place was packed. The racing card was full and it was a great day.
In the last several years Turfway Park has fallen into great disrepair. The place is dirty. On two occasions I have seen people fall to the floor because the legs of their chairs were bent.
The Spiral Stakes this year was the worst. No promotion to bring people in. We have seats on the fourth floor. There was not one concession stand open. There were only 3 people taking bets. Hundreds of seats sat empty. Several scratches in the races. We had water dripping down from a very nasty looking ceiling. There was not one mention of the race in the paper the next day.
I guess this is what happens when the casino in Ohio buys a Kentucky track. No legalized gaming was passed, so they are letting the place fall to seed. It is a shame because Turfway used to be such a fun place.

Fun little track to come to and spend some cash but it’s an older track. They do a lot of special nights and evens that are pretty cool. If your in Florence and have some time to kill or are looking for some fun you can’t go wrong with fast horses and beer.

When reviewing Turfway you need to take into account the location and your expectations.
Not being from the area but knowing about Kentucky the atmosphere was spot on what I thought it would be. Turfway is a smoke filled, decaying, dirty race track with the people to match. This doesn’t take away from its charm though. The people are nice and the beers are cheap. We came here on a Friday night and were not disappointed. Bets, beers, and brawts were all a buck! You can’t beat that deal.
If you’re looking for something to do that’s cheap and entertaining then come here. We’ll definitely be coming back and bringing some friends next time.

An aged and decaying racetrack that still manages to exude a weird kind of charm. I came for the Spiral Stakes day, so I was seeing perhaps the height of this Turfway meet. It’s a day when the racing world’s attention is briefly concentrated here and several famous jockeys and personalities make the trip down. Despite this, I found the park very accessible. You could get a fence spot near the paddock or finish line easily and with no elbowing. The people around you were inebriated, social, and very, very welcoming. Through and including the graded stakes on the day’s card, you could grab a spot along the rail at the winner’s circle. A lot of the actual betting equipment is older and the «good» modern machines are scattered all over the place and crowded. The TVs are small and not very well placed.
Overall, the racetrack has definitely seen better days. You note it from the start when you walk up and the huge, ancient, green TURFWAY PARK letters are hanging precariously over your head as you walk in. Inside it is larger than expected, but has typical racetrack fare for food. Concrete steps are worn to the point of exposing the rebar below, and even the «fancier» touches like the horse-​head statuettes crowing the tops of rail fence posts are worn down to the point where some of the poor horses’ faces are chipped away. I kind of liked it as a sort of elegant decay, but I think if you took away the fun of it being a graded stakes day it would weigh on you as a crappy facility past it’s prime. The people are great, though. Kentucky people are just so damned friendly and easygoing.

$ 1 Beers, Hot Dogs, Horse Racing and People Watching. It’s all good!

Having been to a few tracks in the NY area that are monoliths in size, it was really nice to spend a day exploring one of the many fine race tracks in Northern Kentucky. Parking was not a problem, as I had reached Turfway around the 4^th race, I was close enough where I could easily locate my car, upon my departure if in a slightly influenced state of mind, but I had my buddy as Lead Navagator, if the internal GPS was in need to calibration.
Turfway was so well laid out, there is not a poor seat in the house and I scurried right up to the rail at the finish line to watch the next 2 races. Immediately following, I doubled back into the grandstand to lay a little action for the 7^th-​10^th races (a «little» was my intent going in”. According to the Horseplayers Association of North America (HANA) they ranked Turfway 6^th in value to players out of 70 tracks. It really didn’t seem that way to me as I didn’t hit a darn race that day, but the jockeys were so close as they exited the track, I got to express myself directly – Only kidding– I did however take some photos with me and all of my loosing horsemen.
As luck would have it, the day I attended, it was the week after The Vinery Racing Spiral Stakes, yet the track was still buzzing with track characters. I plan on returning March of 2013 and attend the Stakes Race’s and a little better educated on my betting approach.
A Little Turfway History: The original Latonia Race Course opened in 1883 in Latonia, Kentucky, 10 miles north of present-​day Turfway. Through the 1920s, Latonia was a force in racing, offering top horses, top jockeys, and the country’s richest purses.
Everything price-​wise from parking, admittance, food and beverages were very fair, you get so much more of a bang for your buck then Driving 20 miles to see the Cincinnati Red’s play some early season base ball games. Last but certainly not least, the people of KY are among the finest people I have ever had the pleasure to cross paths with.

After an unfortunate incident involving an injured horse a couple years ago, I decided not to visit Turfway Park again. I was never an avid gambler, but it was a fun and novel way to waste some time. Seeing a horse break two ankles, though, put a definite damper on that fun.
However, due to a recent job assignment, I was required to visit Turfway Park on a Saturday afternoon for live racing. I guess enough time has passed to dull the bad experience enough for me to have quite a good time.
Although the place is starting to show its age, I think it’s still a bit intimidating for folks not used to race tracks. However, the front desk attendant was friendly and reminded me how to place bets. After grabbing a drink and placing my bet (always bet on the gray horse), I took a seat and enjoyed the show.
To be quite honest, I think I had as much fun watching the people as the horses. There were a lot of people there who looked straight out of central casting. The only real complaint I had was the amount of smoke. I’m not someone who usually has an issue with smoking, but this place reeked. If you’re sensitive at all to smoking, I’d steer clear of this place.

We visited this track on a weekday between Christmas and New Years for something different to do. We had a good time gambling on the horses and just hanging out for the day but as other reviewers have mentioned the building is very run down and everyone in there is smoking. It was a cold day so we watched most of the races from the glass covered bleachers and it was like a glass cage of smoke… everything just seemed run down, dirty and old… especially compared to Keeneland where we go a couple of times a year to watch the races.
That being said, I would like to go back for one of their Friday night dollar bud/​hot dog night to see what it’s all about and it’s nice that it was only about a 20 minute drive away (from Oakley) and is something different and fun to do.

I have been meaning to go to Turfway’s Dollar Fridays (dollar Bud/​Bud Light drafts, dollar hot dogs, live music) for a while now, and I finally went on their last Dollar Friday of the season. I am by no means a horse track aficionado, but I have been to River Downs, Keeneland, and Churchill Downs, in order of awesomeness. I’d place Turfway between River Downs and Keeneland, but MUCH closer to River Downs on my very scientific scale.
While the betting was fun (my mom told me to always bet on the grey horse, that little tidbit won me $ 3.20 on a two dollar bet… aka, one free hot dog), the amount of smoke inside the place made it almost unbearable. As a former smoker, I usually don’t mind the smell of cigarettes. However, it seemed like at least 75% of the people were smoking. As Turfway is completely glass-​enclosed, it gave the aura of an airport smoking booth. We couldn’t even stand it long enough to hear the band play, and the next morning we felt HORRIBLE (probably dirty draft lines to go with the second-​hand smoke). I like the idea of Dollar Fridays, but until Kentucky goes non-​smoking, I won’t be back.

We recently went to an event here called Bourbon, Bill, and Breds. Mainly to see Mr. Bill Sameuls, President of Maker’s Mark Distillery, who is retiring the business to his son.
We were supposed to meet in the VIP tent outside, but the weather was so windy with threats of tornado watches — so they moved it indoors to a restaurant downstairs called «The Home Stretch».
First thing, order a Makers and find the best seat. I ordered a Maker’s on the rocks. Then saw another person order a Maker’s Manhattan which looked very inviting (splashed with cherry syrup). So when the bartender handed me mine, I asked if she could put some cherry on it, she threw two cherries on it and seemed quite confused. Ok, no biggie, I’ll drink it like that. I did get to try Maker’s Manhattan later on and it was super.
They had a long display of appetizers. Some items looked interesting but nothing tasted WOW. I could tell they were trying but just didn’t hit the «mark of melt in your mouth, slap the table good».
There was a dessert that looked like a multi color flower (see photo). It was all chocolate with a creamy orange fluff on the inside. There were two straws made of chocolate sticking in the orange supreme. This menu item was adorable and very delicious.
The event itself was awesome. Bill Samuels is funny and has done a great job with Makers.
Turfway Park has a lot of great things — they just need better food and customer service. Again, it’s ok, but not great. But it can be.

I’m no horse racing aficionado… at all… but since moving to the NKY/​Cincinnati area a couple of years ago (and having grown up not too far from Belmont Stakes) I’ve experienced enough race tracks around here to know Turfway Park is a C-​grade track.
This far north in KY, Turfway is a gem, really. It’s fun, they have concerts indoors and outdoors, and some specials (like Dollar Fridays, where they have dollar hot dogs, dollar draft beer, and dollar bets).
Like everywhere else in KY (for now…) there is smoking indoors, and when you have hundreds of people in a glass cage smoking and drinking, you have to expect to hack up a lung or two and realize you will smell like ash until you shower and wash your clothes.
I go to Turfway only for Dollar Fridays, and only 2 – 3 times per season. It’s close to my office, so it’s a good after-​work hangout once in a while; however, I’d rather drive 2 hours to Keeneland once a year than spend more than 2 or 3 nights at Turfway!

Meh… this place is good but not great. If you are local its not a bad track but it isn’t worth driving to from out of town.
Facilities are old and not kept up well… TVs are CRTs that look like they are ready to die. Staff was friendly but that was probably the best part of the whole trip.

Things I know about horses: My family owned a race horse when I was much younger. Horses are cousins to unicorns. I believe I have thrown their shoes at things. I’ve seen Blazing Saddles. I am from Kentucky. I have heard Jello is made out of their hooves. They got Mr. Ed to «talk» by putting peanut butter in his mouth. Woody’s horse is named Bullseye.
You can see now how I am incredibly qualified to write about Turfway. I had been here a few times of my own accord, but as (somewhat) excepted, I come here more often with my grandpa. Keep that in mind if you go during the weekday — Turfway has a bunch of retired people slinging out $ 2 bets like its nobody’s business. They’re a lot of fun though, just don’t bother them while they’re racing. Even if you don’t bet at all, the snack bar is actually reasonably priced — go there during a special event, and many things are only a dollar. Score!
Nowadays, most of Turfway’s betting is done remotely. There are automated machines that will let you do it without seeing another human being, which seem woefully neglected whenever I am there with my grandpa and his friends — they still prefer the old fashioned way of talking with a fellow face to face. There are banks of TVs featuring races from around the country. Honestly I don’t think this is much fun, but to each his own. They still do plenty of live races there, but only during the season. Grandpa’s method is to grab a coffee, pick a number for the day, and just bet every race on that number to win. Hope I didn’t ruin your system by posting that on the internet, grandpa. If you are more calculating, there is apparently a science behind it, one that I don’t think even Stephen Hawking fully understands. Grandpa spends 0 effort and usually breaks even or slightly below, so you can’t beat that. I bet on the ones with the funniest/​coolest names. My system is not quite as lucrative.
Oh «My Ex Husband»… how you let me down!

I used to go there a lot when it was the closest racetrack to where I lived (2 hours away and about 20 years ago). It was a lot of fun then, but haven’t been there in about 4 years. It hadn’t been upgraded in at least 20 years, except for a big room converted for simulcasting and the new synthetic (fake) surface that replaced the dirt, and I doubt much has changed since.
I just read comments in a racing publication from the track’s president about a proposed increase in the state tax (takeout) on account wagers: «Practically speaking, the amount is so small I don’t believe it will have a big impact on wagering.» Translated, he said his customers are stupid.
For one, I don’t gamble on horse racing anymore, and for two, if I still did, I would not support this facility or bet on its races.

i don’t know anything about horses, racing, or horse racing. the only time i’d been to a race track before was once upon a time in high school when we had a bomb scare, they bussed us to the garden state racetrack (r.i.p.).
but i had a fun time at turfway! the people at the betting cash register things (love my terminology?) were helpful because i had literally zero idea what i was talking about. they explained everything to me and nicely took my money (which obviously was not won back). the beers were cheap, the race was fun, and i have no complaints. other than the fact that some horses with cool names stole my money.

While not one of the nicest race track in Kentucky (you’ll have to head to Keeneland or Churchill Downs for that luxury), Turfway can still be a pretty enjoyable day at the races. Turfway’s live racing season runs from the beginning of January to the beginning of April, early September to early October, and late November through the end of year. Simulcasting is available throughout the rest of the year (though check their website for more details).
During the spring and fall live racing season, Turfway runs excellent Friday night specials: $ 1 drafts, $ 1 hot-​dogs, and $ 1 bets. Great cheap date night!
If you’re worried about getting your Derby day hats out for this race track, don’t fret. The dress code is very casual (jeans, tennis shoes, etc). Also, the place can get very smoky, but the race track just opened a non-​smoking betting lounge.