Dayton Raceway schedule: autumn harness racing
Dayton Raceway runs one live meet a year, from September through December, and the 2026 season follows that pattern. The track posts a full 2026 calendar with every live date and featured card, plus programs for each night. Earlier meets give an idea of the rhythm: 2023 opened on September 26 and raced five days a week through December 30.
Season length usually lands around 70 race days, and the 2022 meet was described as the most successful in the track’s history. Race replays are posted online, and the track photographer covers winner’s circle shots. Because the live schedule shifts each year, check the current calendar before driving out for a specific night of racing.
Simulcasting fills the rest of the year. The simulcast theater and clubhouse take wagers on horse races from across the country seven days a week, 11:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. The national horse racing schedule shows which tracks are live, and the pari-mutuel betting guide explains the pools and exotic bets.
Big nights on the oval
The five-eighths-mile oval hosts Ohio Sire Stakes events and the Dayton Pacing Derby and Dayton Trotting Derby, the richest nights of the meet. The track inherited a long stakes tradition from Raceway Park in Toledo, whose Buckeye-Wolverine Pace was once said to call the Ohio State versus Michigan football result with 75 percent accuracy.
County fair racing also passes through. The Montgomery County Fair staged a harness card at Dayton Raceway on October 5, 2026, near the end of Ohio’s fair season. On October 24, 2026, the oval turns into a running course for the Zombie Dogz 5K, paired with a fall festival on the grounds that same day.
The Dayton Raceway casino floor
The gaming floor offers nearly 1,050 of the latest video and reel machines, up slightly from the 1,000 terminals in place when the racino opened in 2014. They are Ohio Lottery terminals, so the casino has no live blackjack, craps or poker. Players earn points through PENN Play, which works across PENN’s casinos and racinos nationwide.
A sportsbook sits on the floor for wagers on football, basketball and other sports, with seats and screens for game days. The H Lounge is the bar and stage, with local bands on Friday and Saturday nights. Dining runs from classic diner dishes to quick bites and drinks, so a race night does not require leaving the building.
Rules for visitors
The gaming floor and sportsbook are restricted to adults 21 and older, and photo ID is required. Younger visitors can still come for the races, but they must enter through the Racing Entrance near the track and the Sunset Patio. Anyone planning to photograph the races must contact security in advance, and access is limited to general viewing areas.
Ohio’s problem gambling helpline is 1-800-589-9966, and the state’s Time Out Ohio program lets players exclude themselves from all casinos and racinos. As at any racino, deciding on a budget before arriving keeps a night out within limits. PENN also runs a Heroes program for military members and first responders through its rewards card.
Getting there
The racino sits at 777 Hollywood Boulevard on Dayton’s north side, off Wagner Ford Road close to Interstate 75, a few minutes north of downtown Dayton and its riverfront. There is no hotel at Dayton Raceway, so visitors from out of town book in Dayton or near the airport to the north.
History: from Raceway Park to Dayton Raceway
Raceway Park opened in Toledo in 1959, staging car racing and thoroughbreds before becoming a harness track. When Governor John Kasich agreed in 2011 to allow lottery terminals at the state’s seven tracks, PENN already owned Hollywood Casino Toledo and won approval to move the racing license to Dayton instead. The new track was ready in spring 2014.
The racino opened on 28 August 2014 as the sixth in Ohio, with about 1,000 terminals. PENN later sold the real estate to Gaming and Leisure Properties, its own former spin-off, and leases it back. In the years since, the track has added a passing lane and new post times, while the floor shifted toward newer video and reel titles.
Nearby racinos
Southwest Ohio is crowded with tracks. Miami Valley Gaming near Lebanon is about 30 miles south and races harness horses in winter and spring, so the two meets barely overlap. Belterra Park in Cincinnati runs thoroughbreds in summer, and Scioto Downs in Columbus offers summer harness racing. All seven are on the Ohio racinos page.