The Coachella Valley’s Lost Race Tracks: A Forgotten Equestrian Dream

The Coachella Valley is known for its luxury resorts, golf courses, and world-class festivals, but horse racing nearly became part of its identity. In the 1950s, investors had ambitious plans to bring the sport to the desert with two separate tracks: the Desert Turf Club in Rancho Mirage and the Palm Springs Turf Club near Highway 111.

The Desert Turf Club, designed for quarter horse racing, was set to feature a one-mile oval track with a quarter-mile straightaway. It was planned for land now occupied by Sunnylands. Meanwhile, the Palm Springs Turf Club aimed to host thoroughbred racing and was proposed for an area between Palm Springs and Cathedral City.

Both projects ignited public debate and hearings with the California Horse Racing Board. By 1954, the Palm Springs Turf Club was rejected due to strong opposition. The Desert Turf Club, however, broke ground in 1957 under the leadership of Frank Bogart, who would later become Palm Springs’ mayor. Unfortunately, financial setbacks doomed the venture, and by 1959, the project was abandoned.

Today, these race tracks remain a fascinating “what if” in Coachella Valley history. Catch NBC Palm Springs historian Steve Sumrall’s Desert in a Minute for more lost stories of the desert.