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A racetrack where speed doesn't matter

2021-08-04T10:07:33.757Z


At Grants Pass Downs, Oregon, horses come first and women thrive as owners, trainers, and jockeys. Joe Drape 08/03/2021 4:22 PM Clarín.com The New York Times International Weekly Updated 08/03/2021 16:24 GRANTS PASS, Oregon - The guardrail came from the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds and the camera towers of another vintage racetrack in California. The horse ambulance? Bought in Kentucky. Everything about Grants Pass Downs is recycled, except for one thing: its mission to be America's safes


Joe Drape

08/03/2021 4:22 PM

  • Clarín.com

  • The New York Times International Weekly

Updated 08/03/2021 16:24

GRANTS PASS, Oregon - The guardrail came from the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds and the camera towers of another vintage racetrack in California.

The horse ambulance?

Bought in Kentucky.

Everything about Grants Pass Downs is recycled, except for one thing: its mission to be America's

safest

and

most

community-focused

racetrack

.

Joree Scriver, right, a Grants Pass Downs rider, has been riding since she learned to walk.

Photo Joe Kline for The New York Times.

For 15 weeks out of the year, this corner of the Josephine County Fairgrounds is the center of Oregon's horse racing, a circuit short of money but brimming with camaraderie and compassion that have often been absent at wealthier racetracks. and glamorous of the sport.

The men and women here are united by their

ties to horses

and their commitment to

animal

welfare

.

The Grants Pass Downs makeover into a short-lived horse racing paradise in the Klamath Mountains was the brainchild of Travis Boersma.

He grew up on a local dairy farm and was a racing lover in the Grants Pass Downs long before he and his late brother, Dane, turned a coffee stand in town into Dutch Bros. Coffee, a chain with more than 450 establishments. in various states.

He is also a soccer coach in high school, and there are soccer fields arranged in the court square for the children of the area.

Boersma has provided a quirky destination for an eclectic collection of riders

, both male and female.

"We can't imagine a life without horses," said Jaqueline Smith, strolling through her yard to say good morning to her horses.

"If you develop a personal bond with each horse, keep them healthy and nurture their talents, they will reward you," Smith said.

His approach has earned him nearly 300 wins and more

than $ 1 million

in bag wins.

In the mornings, the track's lead jockey, Joree Scriver, all smiles and ponytails, rides a bike from stable to stable.

Scriver has been on a horse since he learned to walk.

He earned his jockey license at age 18, winning for the first time in his eleventh outing, on August 10, 2019.

He has had about 500 starts since then and has won 77 of them, earning

more than $ 590,000 in bags.

When Boersma took over the racetrack's commercial license, horse racing was under siege after 30 horses at Santa Anita Park Racetrack in California had to be

euthanized

over a six-month period in 2019.

Along with the addition of pre-race veterinary examinations of all competing horses and a widening of the track, this track has an injury rate below the national average, said Randy Evers, president of Grants Pass Downs.

"We wanted it to be smooth and slow," Evers said.

"We are not trying to break any speed records here."

As the sun set behind the Klamath Mountains one day, Scriver's usual smile turned into a mask of determination as he led the mare Jaded Tiger onto the track for the night's highlight race, with a bag of about $ 8,000. , substantial for Grants Pass Downs.

The mare won by almost two lengths.

Scriver's smile returned as he galloped Jaded Tiger into the winner's circle.

"I love this sport," she told herself.

© 2021 The New York Times

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Source: clarin

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