Bandera Downs

Bandera Downs was an American horse-racing track located in Bandera, Bandera County, Texas.

Bandera Downs in Bandera, Texas

A thousand people were on hand for the first race at the new track known as Lost Valley Downs in July 1965[1] running American Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred events until closing after the 1967 season. The track was sold in 1984 and reopened as Bandera Downs by the new owners.[2] It opened as for its first season of parimutuel racing on July 6, 1990, shortly after the Texas Legislature legalized parimutuel betting. Despite a $6 million renovation and 284,690 people gambling $35.8 million the first year,[3] the track faced declining attendance and wagering due to its proximity to nearby Retama Park, and closed in 1995.[4][5]

The property was auctioned the following year, and renamed Bandera Downs Recreational Complex, hosting concerts, festivals, and other events.[6] In February 1998, the track was again sold at a tax auction to the Bandera Independent School District for $1.475 million, but the purchase was nullified by District Judge V Murray Jordan the following year on the basis that the district could not bid at its own tax sale.[7] The ruling was reversed after appeal, but the district could not develop the property without a bond issue. The track was sold again in 2004 for $1.2 million to a firm with plans to open a training center.[8] The track remains intact, but is offered for sale.