Remington Park celebrates 35th anniversary of horse racing in Oklahoma City

When Remington Park first opened 35 years ago, there was a buzz of excitement in Oklahoma City.

Built by billionaire Edward J. DeBartolo Sr., who once owned the San Francisco 49ers and the Louisiana Downs racetrack, the opening of Remington Park was billed as the arrival of major professional sports in Oklahoma City, 20 years before the Thunder called Oklahoma City its home.

Opening day was Sept. 1, 1988. Some bettors showed up wearing 10-gallon Stetsons. Others wore three-piece suits with racing cards tucked in their vests. Others dressed as if they were attending Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May.

Only margaritas were the drink of choice, not mint juleps, and the state song “Oklahoma” was featured instead of “My Old Kentucky Home.”

The first day of racing had a Kentucky Derby feel to it, even if it wasn’t quite as grand, said Donnie Von Hemel, a thoroughbred racehorse trainer who was at Remington Park for opening day and has raced there for the past 35 years.

“The people kind of felt that way. You could tell it,” Von Hemel said. “Mainly, I remember it was packed.”

A Kansas native, Von Hemel moved to Oklahoma City at the same time Remington Park was built. He splits his time between Churchill Downs, Oaklawn and Remington Park, but made Oklahoma City his home because of Remington Park.

“We always had a number of clients from Oklahoma, owners of horses,” Von Hemel said. “It just looked like of all the tracks that were opening at that time, they (Remington Park) looked like the best chance of making a go of it.”

For thoroughbred horse owners in Oklahoma, the opening of Remington Park meant they could finally race in their home state, he said.

““It (opening day) was a celebration because Oklahoma had been a horse racing state long before they were peri-mutuel (betting),” Von Hemel said. “Per capita, I think the most horses in the country are in Oklahoma.

“I know quarter horses are big in Oklahoma, but they always had a big thoroughbred contingent. They just couldn’t run in their home state. They would run in New Mexico, Arkansas and Louisiana. Anytime you went to the tracks in those places, you would see Oklahoma residents, that is for sure.”

On Friday, Remington Park will celebrate its 35th anniversary, and the racetrack has managed to stay in business when so many others haven’t. Since 2000, more than 40 racetracks have closed in the United States.

Von Hemel said Remington Park has been able to adapt even though the industry is shrinking. The number of thoroughbred foals born each year is down to about 19,000, Von Hemel said. That number was about 40,000 when Remington Park opened 35 years ago, he said.

Fewer breeders mean fewer horses, which means fewer racing days.

“I have told people if I was 21 instead of 61, it would be a hard decision to make to think you could have a career in it (horse racing),” Von Hemel said.

As the United States has become more urban, people have seemingly become less interested in horse racing, Von Hemel said.

But Remington Park has been able to survive because it has adapted. First came simulcasting then in 2004 Oklahoma voters approved casino gambling at Remington Park.

Adding a casino probably saved Remington Park and other racetracks across the country, Von Hemel said. Casinos and horse racing at the same location are now commonly called raceinos.

“Most tracks in America have some slot machines and even full card and table games,” Von Hemel said. "Casino gaming is a big competition for horse racing, and we’ve kind of joined forces to just to try and survive.”

In 2009, a subsidiary of the Chickasaw Nation bought Remington Park, and two years later the Nation invested multi-millions of dollars to refurbish the racetrack.

Von Hemel thinks Remington Park will continue to thrive as long as it adapts to the times. Even though the horse racing industry may be trending downward, Von Hemel thinks there always will be horse racing in Oklahoma.

After all, Oklahoma, at least the western half of it, was founded on a horse race, he said.

“It started with people on fast horses trying to get some land,” Von Hemel said. “I would hope that if racing shrinks, Oklahoma could adapt. Horses, whether they be show horses or quarter horses or whatever they are — they are part of Oklahoma.

“And if there are horses, there will always be horse races.”

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Remington Park celebrates 35th anniversary of horse racing in OKC