The Pleasanton Fairgrounds Racetrack is located at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, California, race track for Thoroughbred, Quarter horse, and Arabian racing. In 1858, the sons of Spaniard Don Agustín Bernal built this third-oldest horse racing track in the United States, even older than New York’s popular Saratoga racetrack. In the past, local Spaniards and rich owners in the Eastern United States often chose Pleasanton as a training ground for their horses.

Then in 1876, the track became known as the Pleasanton Trotting Park, and the same year, Joseph Nevis purchased and managed the racetrack and constructed the first grandstand. In 1939, pari-mutuel wagering commenced at Pleasanton. Then in 1940, the track was purchased by Alameda County. In 1941, during its nine-day meet, the track achieved a national record for the average daily handle.

Although the Pleasanton was closed for three consecutive years during World War II, the rack achieved remarkable improvement after the war. In 1963, the old wooden grandstand was remodeled into a modern concrete and steel structured grandstand. In 1975, a nine-hole golf course supplanted the venue’s inner racecourse, while in 1991, a facility for simulcast horse race betting was opened.