The Crooked River Roundup horse races begin Wednesday in Prineville. (Ryan Brennecke/Bulletin file photo)

The expectant mother was in labor. Yet she refused to leave the Crook County Fairgrounds, not until the final horse races of the Crooked River Roundup were complete. She stayed for as long as she could. Not long after, some 40 years ago, a baby boy — middle name: Race — was born in the fairgrounds parking lot.

Dean Noyes insists that the story is true, and he loves retelling it. He says that story is an example of the enthusiasm horse racing fans have shown over the years for the Crooked River Roundup races: an excitement, Noyes says, “that makes people keep coming back for more.”

On Wednesday, the four-day event kicks off at the fairgrounds in Prineville, complete with 36 races, expected crowds of 4,000 spectators per night, and an experience unlike any other in Central Oregon.

“It’s an iconic piece of Prineville,” says Noyes, the Crooked River Roundup director of racing. “And we are just so fortunate to have Central Oregon supporting this event.”

Eight races are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday and 10 races for Friday and Saturday.

The marquee event will be Saturday night’s Jack Rhoden Memorial, a 250-yard quarter horse sprint boasting the weekend’s largest purse — with more than $17,000 on the line. The purse for the Rhoden Memorial is an increase of about $3,000 from last year, Noyes says, and it is in line with hiked-up prize money for each race.

“We have some of the better purses in the state, and we’re pretty proud of that,” Noyes says. “We’ve always been pretty proud of the fact that Central Oregon has always supported this event so well. It’s that financial strength that allows us to put on such a competitive event. Bend, Redmond, Prineville, Madras, everything about our location is just optimal.

“Plus, this is kind of the only sporting event with horse racing that you have in Central Oregon. Between its unique nature and the fun, party atmosphere that we have, it makes our handle — the amount of money that people bet each night — one of the best in the state as far as live handle goes. That’s what’s been able to afford us the opportunity to advance our purses and become more attractive, which helps us draw horses from Washington and California, a lot of horses that are getting better in quality every year and putting up pretty good battles on the racetrack.”

On the track, as many as 280 horses could be competing during this year’s CRR races. In the stands, over the course of the Crooked River Roundup, Noyes says, “we will exceed the population of Prineville (9,000-plus).”

The meet has been especially successful recently, Noyes adds, because of the mutually beneficial relationship between the event’s organizers and the Prineville community. One of the largest fundraisers for the local Boys Scouts, for example, is the Crooked River Roundup. And event organizers are expected to donate more than $10,000 to CAN Cancer, a community assistance program for local residents with cancer. According to Noyes, between $20,000 and $30,000 is given back to the community each year from the CRR races.

“The No. 1 reason we do it is just for fun,” Noyes says. “It’s great that it benefits the community, and that’s the underlying piece of it. But this is just to have a good time. Everybody loves coming here — celebrating anniversaries, meeting friends they haven’t seen all year. And then it comes full circle, and you end up running into that guy who was born in the parking lot. That’s what it’s all about: to have a good time and to have fun.”

— Reporter: 541-383-0307, 
glucas@bendbulletin.com

If you go

What: Crooked River Roundup horse races

When: Wednesday through Saturday, 6 p.m. gates open; 7:10 p.m. post time

Where: Crook County Fairgrounds, Prineville

Cost: $7

For more information: www.
crookedriverroundup.com