Organizers for this year’s Crooked River Roundup horse races are expecting bigger fields for most races, which start tonight at the Crook County Fairgrounds.

Citing a number of factors, Dean Noyes, the director of racing and president of the Crooked River Roundup, said Monday that all signs point to more horses coming in for the four-day meet in Prineville.

Good turnouts of horses at similar meets in Oregon this summer, more horses coming over from Idaho, and more stalls rented out this year than last year have Noyes optimistic that races will have closer to full fields of eight when they kick off tonight.

More horses mean more options (and bigger odds) for wagerers at this year’s meet.

“We were short on horses last year,” Noyes said, recalling several races with small fields. “We never know until they all get here, but (race meets at) Grants Pass and Union had a record number of entries this year, so we are hoping for the same here.”

A number of horses are coming to the Prineville meet from Idaho, after that state’s largest track, Les Bois Park near Boise, shut down this year after the Idaho state legislature repealed a law allowing gaming machines at the track.

The revenue from the machines had led to larger purses at the track and operators said they needed that revenue to keep the track open. Noyes said that horse owners from the state are looking for places to run, so Prineville is a good fit.

Horses are also expected to come for the meet from California, Washington and, of course, Oregon. Several horses from Emerald Downs (in Washington) and Portland Meadows are scheduled to race.

“It’s rare to see horses from so many states coming into this one meet,” Noyes said.

He added that more than 240 stalls have been rented out for this week’s meet, which is more than last year.

The Crooked River Roundup is one of five summer meets statewide, including the recent meets in Union and Grants Pass, and coming up in Tillamook and Burns.

Noyes cited cooperation between fair meets such as the Crooked River Roundup and Portland Meadows, the state’s only commercial track, as crucial to the health of the racing industry in Oregon.

“Portland Meadows has created an environment where horsemen know they have a place to stall their horses in the offseason,” he said. “Meadows runs in winter while the fair tracks run in summer, so the schedule works well for the fair tracks and for them.”

The Prineville meet opens with eight races scheduled for tonight and Thursday night and 10 races each night for Friday and Saturday.

While some of the other tracks in the state have gone to a $2 minimum bet, organizers of the Crooked River Roundup races have stuck with the $3 minimum.

“Our $3 minimum bet has had great success year after year,” Noyes said. “We’re going to ask our customers this year what they think about going to the $2 minimum, but our handle has increased every year so we didn’t see the need to change it.”

Wagering will be offered on win, place and show tickets, exactas (first two finishers) and trifectas (first three finishers).

The Jack Rhoden Memorial, a 250-yard quarter horse sprint, is the weekend’s largest purse and is set for Saturday night with more than $14,000 on the line.

Gates open for each racing session at 6 p.m. and the first post is 7:15 p.m. Organizers expect 2,500 to 3,000 racing enthusiasts to attend each night.

Advance tickets are available at Wilco Farm Stores in Prineville and Bend for $5; tickets at the gate are $7 and include a free race program and parking. Women get in free tonight for Ladies Night.

— Reporter: 541-617-7868, kduke@bendbulletin.com