It was the first synthetic horse racetrack longer than 1 mile (1.6 km) in the Northeast and the first racetrack paved with Tapeta in the United States. The racing surface is the synthetic material Tapeta Footings (a mixture of sand, rubber, fiber with a wax coating ). The 1 mile (1.6 km) oval track opened on September 2, 2007. In January 2019, Eldorado Resorts (the successor of MTR Gaming) sold the property to Churchill Downs Inc. Simulcasting was transferred from its former upper Peach Street location and became operational in August 2007.
The developer, MTR Gaming Group, broke ground in October 2005 for the new facility, which opened on February 28, 2007. Presque Isle Downs & Casino is a casino and horse racing track near Erie, Pennsylvania, owned and operated by Churchill Downs Inc.
