Belterra Park

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Photos by Aaron S. Terry, Stadium Journey

Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.43

Belterra Park 6301 Kellogg Rd Cincinnati, OH 45230

Belterra Park website

Year Opened: 2014

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A Cincy Kind of Place

Belterra Park is a live horse racing venue in Cincinnati, Ohio. The course features both a dirt track and a turf track. While small, it is a pleasant venue with covered seating outdoors and simulcast viewing indoors, with live cashiers as well as betting machines taking bets both inside and out. The facility includes a small casino, as well as a Burger Brothers restaurant.

Food & Beverage   2

The Burger Brothers restaurant next to the sports book was the only place open for food and drinks during my most recent visit; there are concession windows outside as well, which were closed, but I am sure they are open on bigger race days. Burger Brothers has a very small menu, with only a couple items such as burgers, fries, cookies, and soda.

I did see people drinking soda and other beverages inside the sports book, but I wasn’t able to tell where they were getting them from; perhaps from a bar inside the casino.

Atmosphere   4

The nicest feature at Belterra was the covered seating over the grandstand, as well as the covered tables on the apron (umbrellas at each table) and near the main entrance (roof extending from the facility). The scenery is also pleasant.

The sports book is also well-appointed and kept clean, not dingy like some other race tracks I have visited. There are plenty of betting machines and a couple of cashiers (both inside and outside) if you care to make a wager on the ponies. You can also watch racing at other tracks and place bets on those races; there are plenty of tables and chairs inside the sports book, and I saw more patrons in there than I did outside – this is likely due to the weather, as races at Belterra tend to start at noon, the hottest part of the day.

Neighborhood   3

While the address is still in Cincinnati, Belterra Park is actually about 9 miles from downtown Cincy, nestled on the east side of the meandering Ohio River (downtown Cincinnati is on the north side). The area around the race track is pretty rural, but includes attractions such as a live music venue, a nature preserve, and a couple of restaurants, including Dead Low Brewing and Pig Candy BBQ. While driving in you will also see signs for Ulysses S. Grant’s boyhood home and related sites – these sites are located about 20-30 minutes from the race track.

Fans   3

There aren’t many fans at a typical race day here, but you will see many more during bigger events. Patrons at the track tend to be friendly, and you can easily strike up a conversation about which horse you might like. As at any horse racing track, the most noise occurs at the end of a race, when fans cheer on their favorite (or curse the one that got beaten by a head).

Access   4

Belterra Park is not that hard to get to; it is only a couple of miles off I-275 outside Cincinnati, and there is plenty of room to move around both inside and outside, especially if you avoid major race days (which I would recommend).

When you arrive, go ahead and proceed to Gate 8, which is the third gate you see if you take Kellogg Road from I-275. This gate will take you to a parking lot right next to the track, and there should be plenty of parking. Once inside there should also be little or no line to get food at Burger Brothers, or to make a wager on the race. There are also plenty of different seating options, for example sitting down on the apron at one of the tables, sitting under cover in the grandstand, standing at the rail to hear the pounding of the hooves, or sitting comfortably indoors watching the action on TV.

Return on Investment   5

There is no cost to get in, and unlike many tracks there is only a $1 minimum wager for most bets (as low as 50 cents / 10 cents for trifectas and superfectas). This makes it easy to try your luck on the ponies without risking your shirt. The costs at Burger Brothers are comparable to what you might pay at other sports venues, but with free parking as well, this is a very inexpensive way to enjoy yourself at the races.

Extras   3

The facility is small, so you can get very close to the action on the track, especially for the dirt races (the dirt track is on the outside of the turf course). The scenery is also great, and I very much appreciated the clean, modern facility to spend the day in.