Arapahoe Park Racetrack

This is a great, inexpensive diversion for people looking to do something different. It only costs. $ 3.00 to get in on General Admission, ($ 1.00 for people 55 and older), and there is plenty of room. If you want to pay a little more, you can «reserve» a table with or without waiter service in air-​conditioned comfort inside for $ 15.00. The tables have closed circuit TV’s that follow the progress of the races, too.
If all you want to do is watch horses run, (and that, to me, is fun enough right there), you can do that, or you can place bets on each, individual race. You only need $ 2.00 to place a bet, but you can certainly bet more. But, placing the $ 2.00 bet on each of eight races will only cost you $ 16.00, and you might win something, too. I won $ 20 on a $ 2.00 Exacta bet, and I almost won a Superfects that would have netted me over $ 200 if I had only switched the order of two horses. Even losing, that’s kind of fun. It gives you something to root for, and people love to root, don’t they! Well, that little bit of money had us rooting, screaming, and yelling all afternoong. My friend actually made a little bit of money on the afternoon by betting on the same jockey who had four races that day. He won all four, and my friend bet on him to win each time.
The only problem for my wife and I at the track is that we are vegetarian, and there really isn’t much for us to eat there. Everything has meat in it, even the salads. So, we ended up eating fried foods like french fries, and fried cheese. OH, by the way, they have a «sampler» of the fried «Bar Food» that is $ 12.00. Skip it. It’s not really a very good value. You’d do much better to just order the french fries. As for beverages, the prices are about what you’d expect, and actually pretty reasonable for some draws.
I would definitely recommend this for people, (even if you have kids), looking for something new, different, and fun to do. For us, it’s so far across town that we never have to worry about going to often, but I certainly would not hesitate to entertain friends there once in a while. Give it a try sometime. You might like it!

We love coming to the Arapahoe Race Track. Always a fun way to spend the afternoon. My son loves it, he loves horses. It’s a nice track, just a ways away in the middle of nowhere near the Fairgrounds. Its not a bad location, you can tell its an older building, but its not falling apart or anything! Its always clean and fun!

Went for the first time (why did it take so long for me to go?) on ⁷⁄₂₆. Had a BLAST. Races start at 1pm and there is typically 20 – 25 minutes between races — just enough time to place bets, get snacks, hit the restroom. We saw some Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred races, from 300 yards to over a mile — each race was exciting in different ways.
We had such a blast we are planning on going again before the season ends — and next year try to make it out regularly!

As a slight degenerate gambler over my life, I’ve certainly been to my fair share of racetracks, poker halls and casinos. All are certainly best for those like me, opposed to a family of four looking for an afternoon of «watching horsies» and Arapahoe is no different. This racetrack has a great old-​time feel to it but unlike others, is always clean and respectable. If not being located the middle of nowhere, I would love to come catch a few more days of betting here each year. It’s spacious and offers numerous great spots to watch the horse you bet on. And like it should, it’s food options are simple and carnival’istic. But don’t kid yourself, you’re not going for the food but for the chance to hit a trifecta. Nothing beats watching your horse round the turn and make a few powerful strides to victory… and there’s no better place in the area to do it than here! «Down the stretch they come…»

I’ll start this off by saying I’m a fan of gambling and grew up going to dog tracks. While there is no longer live greyhound racing in CO there is live horse racing. This track is roughly what you’d expect from a horse track. It’s not fancy, but it’s definitely not a dump. It’s old and it shows it’s age, but it’s clean, safe and fun.
When we go we always reserve a table in the clubhouse. It costs $ 10, but assures us a seat at a table with a tv (that you can tune to the Arapahoe track races or any other silumcast… or even the news or something else if you are so inclined). Plus in the clubhouse you are guaranteed air conditioning and easy access to the restrooms. Also, the lines for betting in the clubhouse are significantly shorter than the rest of the track. The $ 10 table reservation fee includes admission (which ranges from free to $ 3 depending on your age and the day of week).
Programs cost you $ 2 each which is cheap and you definitely want one to help get a clue about the horses. This is CO (ummm.we’re not a big horse racing town) so these horses aren’t ever going to be racing in the Kentucky Derby or anything, but the races are fun and the gambling is cheap. Plus with younger and more inexperienced horses just about anything can happen so you just might walk away with a longshot win and a little money in your pocket.
Post time is 1 PM and this is way the heck out east. So plan ahead and try to get there by about 12:45 if you want to have time to get situated and get a bet in on the first race. There are 20 minutes in between each race and that’s a generous 20 minutes (gambling clock keepers must run on their own time). So there’s a lot of time in between races since it won’t take you nearly that long to figure out who you want to pick. This makes this a great way to spend some time with family or friends and have some fun gambling as well as plenty of time to catch up. If everything runs smoothly there are about 8 or 9 races and you’ll be out of there about 5:30 if you stay for all the races. Getting out takes longer than getting in because everyone leaves at the same time and pretty much everyone has to go the same direction, but it’s not bad. Oh, and parking is free.
You certainly could bring kids here and no one will look twice at you. There’s plenty of room for them to run around and be kids, but there’s not a ton for them to do so don’t expect them to entertain themselves.
Dress is casual, you can show up in just about anything and fit in (even in the clubhouse).
Food is on par with a horse track. Basic concessions. Hot dogs, brats, nachos, popcorn, chicken sandwiches, french fries, onion rings and the sort. They also sell ice cream and each level has a fully stocked bar. Prices are decent. Not cheap, but certainly not movie theater or stadium food prices either.
Overall it’s a fun day and you get to gamble a little and maybe walk out with a little extra money. If not, you certainly won’t lose your shirt if you just bet $ 2 a race.

Horse racing in Denver? hells yea, granted they aren’t open all year long like in California. They have a nice inside area. They could use alot of upgrades to make it like some of the other nice ones like golden gate fields, and maybe keep the crowd more involved. All in all i’ll be back ready to win on my longshots

Affordable entertainment suitable for the whole family. On entering, we were glad to see it is a non smoking facility. A reserved table for 4 in the air conditioned clubhouse costs a mere $ 10 for the afternoon. A program listing all the races and horses cost $ 2.00. So for $ 12 up to 4 people can sit comfortable for an afternoon of racing. Nine races are run. Betting is optional but we made a $ 2 wager on each race for a total cost of $ 18 which provided a bit of added excitement to each race. We were fortunate and won a bit back on this day. Common areas and restrooms were pretty clean. The staff was friendly, helpful, and patient with our newbie questions. Kids and adults alike enjoy seeing the beautiful animals before and during each race. All in all this is a fun afternoon of affordable entertainment.

Cheap beers [$ 2-​$ 4 depending on what you want!] + $ 2 bets + free entry [most days!] + awesome building/​set up + friendly staff + LIVE horse and dog racing = PERFECT way to spend a Sunday afternoon :)

Ever been in a win picture?
Fridays are free
Other days, buy a table, always have a seat.
Ten tickets
Eat at the BBQ on the apron
The fashion is impressive, I want some orange boots.

This is a great way to spend an afternoon! Fun!
$ 2 bets. Horses. Cheap Beers!!!
This place is way out there though (BFE)…so plan ahead.
The place isn’t fancy, and lines can get long on a busy day, but don’t forget about the ticket machines to place bets and check tickets!
So much fun!

This is quite the experience for the uninitiated. It’s not exactly as fancy as what you see on TV at Churchill Downs, but it’s still a good time. It was free when I attended on a Friday afternoon, other days have a entrance fee that I think is pretty low.
Obviously you can get your gamble on here and enjoy a few drinks, not sure if they make mint juleps though.

Horse racing always seemed inaccessible to me. A distant world of ladies with large hats, men in seersucker suits, seen only on TV. Or else it was like the seedy areas haunted by Charles Bukowski. But the reality is: it’s about as accessible as the local bingo hall. Walk in to Arapahoe Park, grab a seat and you’ll be spending a few bucks on horses in no time.
It’s a few dollars to get in, but you can pay a little extra to sit in the «clubhouse». You can wander around outside and watch each race, but since there is no cover or shade out there, the interior clubhouse is probably a better choice. The food is about what you would expect at your average mid-​range sporting event (hot dogs, nachos, hamburgers, beer, etc).
You’re probably not visiting for the food, though. The betting system is pretty simple and easy to pick up. Walk up to the counters, tell them which horse you want to bet on, specify «win», «place» or «show», and you’ll receive a slip resembling a lotto ticket. Not sure if you’re a winner or even if you’ve won anything: simply take your ticket back to the counter after the race and they can check it for you. There’s even a self-​service betting terminal if you’re in a rush (or a degenerate gambler).
The clientele seemed to be about the same as Blackhawk and Central City, though. Several oldsters with their oxygen carts and cigarettes. But a good selection of «normal» folk were around. You wouldn’t be too out of place wearing your large hat or seersucker suit… nor would you be in your shorts, t-​shirt and baseball hat.
You probably will not walk out of the track with a huge load of winnings. But it’s more enjoyable to bet (or in my case, lose money) by watching horses race. As opposed to sitting at a slot machine at a casino and feeding it quarters.

I love betting on Ponies and to my surprise I had a track just 10 minutes from my house. They have live racing all summer up until early August. It costs $ 3 for adults to get in on Saturday and Sunday and it’s free for all kids.
The clubhouse is actually pretty clean compared to what I am used to. Kids love looking at the horses and parents love drinking and gambling so it’s a win win situation for everyone. I think they have a total of 8 or 9 races on a normal day. I suggest checking it out for cheap fun for the whole family.