The North Dakota Racing Commission approved four weekends of racing in Fargo and five weekends in Belcourt, North Dakota.

© North Dakota Horse Park

BISMARCK, ND–NOVEMBER 16, 2024–The North Dakota Racing Commission granted the North Dakota Horse Park four weekends of live horse racing and Chippewa Downs in Belcourt five weekends of live racing.

The North Dakota Horse Park is slowly building up its racing season. For the second year, live horse racing is expected to return for four weekends in 2025. Racing is expected to be held throughout July, as in previous years.

Hugh Alan Drexler, North Dakota Horse Park General Manager, requested eight days of racing, Friday through Sunday, starting July 11 and ending August 2.

While the Fargo track hosted four weekends of racing in 2024, it held three weekends in 2022 and 2023.

Drexler said running an additional weekend of racing costs an additional $100,000 in operational expenses. He has opened discussions with horsemen to gauge interest in running a shorter meet with higher purses or hosting eight full days of racing.

The 2024 race meet reached attendance and purse records as the North Dakota Horse Park paid more than $439,600 in purses, up from about $377,000 in 2023. The total handle, or money bet on horse racing over the eight-day season, was about $307,600.

Although the commission granted Chippewa Downs five weekends of live racing, the track only expects to host four weekends in June. The commission granted an additional racing weekend to allow the track to host a make-up weekend if needed. In prior years, race days were rescheduled or canceled due to weather delays.

The North Dakota Racing Commission grants the two tracks the number of days each permitted to host live racing in the coming year, then meets in February to assign funding.