Pioneer Race Course

The Pioneer Race Course opened in March eighteen fifty-one as the first horse racing track in San Francisco. It occupied a stretch of wet, springy land in the southern Mission District, an area where no streets existed when the course was first constructed. Local businessmen George and John Treat funded the project, with the track physically laid out by Alfred Green. It was defined by its straight-sided oval shape and held a reputation for fast turf that drew horse racing enthusiasts during the city’s early growth.