Horse races at the Pocatello Downs back again with Idaho Cup Trials on May 5

POCATELLO — Pocatello Downs horse races are set to return this weekend with the Idaho Cup Trials.

LuKrena Schoonover, president of Pocatello Downs, said there would be eight total days when races will be held held over the next couple of months. Six of those days will be in May, and the other two will be in July.

“Our first race day is May 5,” she said. “The gates will open at 3 p.m.”

Schoonover said the races on May 5 and May 18 are sponsored by the Idaho Quarter Horse Association. The race on May 5 will be a special race day because it will be the Idaho Cup Trials.

“That means the horses that are participating have all been born and raised in Idaho,” she said.

Schoonover said during the rest of the May dates, the gates will open at noon, and the two July dates will both be held on Friday nights. The gates will open at 4 p.m. in July.

“We usually shoot to have eight to ten races per day,” she said. “It depends on the entries.”

Schoonover said the Pocatello Downs Horse Races are the only racing circuit in Idaho that isn’t held in conjunction with a county fair.

“We get a few more days than the other tracks,” she said.

Schoonover said the purse for the first week would be for $2,000. The top ten horses on that day will move onto the finals for May 18 where the purse will be even larger.

“The purse for those are going to be over $50,000,” she said.

Schoonover said the purse amounts have been stagnant over the past five years because Idaho horse racing does not have as much funding as horse racing in other states.

“It’s challenging because neighboring states like Wyoming have much bigger purses,” she said.

Schoonover said the horse races will be happening while the county is redoing the grand stands at the Pocatello Downs. She said there are always other events going on at the stadium.

“We’re always working around the other events and working with the county,” she said.

Schoonover said her favorite part about the horse races is interacting with everyone involved and the close relationships between all of them.

“I love the horses,” she said. “I love the camaraderie between the horsemen and having them come here and showcase their horses that were born and raised in Idaho.”

The races will be held at Pocatello Downs at 10560 Fairground Drive in Pocatello. Tickets cost $5. Children ages 12 and under will get in free.

More information about the horse races can be found on Facebook at facebook.com/pokyhorseracing/ .