MacBoyle track to be restored as equine park
The Union staff
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12:01 a.m. PT May 9, 2008
The barns and horse track that gold mine owner Errol MacBoyle started building outside Grass Valley in 1933 will be restored to create a "comprehensive horse park."
Carville Sierra, the company that owns the half-mile horse track off Idaho-Maryland Road, the nearby Loma Rica organic farm and more than 450 surrounding acres, will restore the area that has been closed for decades, company spokeswoman Nell Scannon said Thursday.
"The comprehensive facility will include a solar-powered, 60-stall public boarding facility, large indoor arena, outdoor arenas and roundpens, restored half-mile exercise track, acres of turnout pastures and miles of trails," said Scannon, who is vice president of communications and outreach for the business headquartered on Loma Rica Drive.
"The vision is to create a hub of horse activity that will naturally promote a fun social and educational gathering place," Scannon said.
Activities are expected to include clinics, horse shows and camps.
MacBoyle owned the Idaho-Maryland Mine, and he used his golden earnings to build what was, in 1933, a state-of-the-art facility that attracted hundreds of thoroughbred racehorses - including Noor, who retired there and is buried in the track's infield.
In 1950, Noor set three world records and upset Triple Crown champion Citation four out of five times. He was considered the third-best American racehorse of all time, behind Secretariat and Man O'War.
Carville Sierra plans to take MacBoyle's premier facility "to the next level with solar energy, recycled materials, insulated walls, highly engineered ventilation and innovative technologies to reduce barn waste," Scannon said.
The company also plans to include a bed and breakfast inn and organic restaurant.
