It came together almost as quickly as Secretariat’s 1 1/2-mile gallop to the Triple Crown 52 years ago.
In just two months, three acres of land on the south side of the I-129 expressway has been transformed into a 5/8-mile horse racing facility that will have its grand opening this Saturday with a four-race card.
The new Atokad track is being built by Ho-Chunk Capital, the first step in what will eventually include a $50-60 million casino across the street from the track’s location at 4500 G Street.
What looked like a giant mud pit after some of the heavier storms that hit the area earlier this summer has turned into what will be the area’s premiere horse racing facility, and Ho-Chunk officials are excited to show it off when it opens the gates for the one-day showing.
“The track is in really great condition,” Marshall Bass, Ho-Chunk Capital business operations manager, told the Dakota County Star as dirt was being conditioned on the track Tuesday afternoon in anticipation of Saturday’s first race, scheduled for 1 p.m.
“The mix of sand and dirt has been taken care of, so now we’re watering things down and breaking up the dirt to get it to a nice consistency.”
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