[1] Constructed in 1858 by the sons of Spaniard Don Agustín Bernal, it is the third-oldest horse racing track of its kind in the United States.

In 1883, Australian millionaire Monroe Salisbury bought it for $25,000 (about 666,325 when adjusted for inflation), and renamed it the Pleasanton Stock Farm.

His signature red hay gained fame for the racetrack, and Eastern United States owners began shipping their horses to Pleasanton.

The racetrack would again change hands in 1911, when the Canadian Roger J. MacKenzie bought it and renovated it by adding living quarters and an additional barn to accommodate extra horses.

during the winter months wealthy owners in the Eastern United States often shipped their horses to Pleasanton for training.