FARGO — There will be 16 weeks of horse racing in North Dakota, with four weeks of racing at the North Dakota Horse Park in Fargo starting in July, allowing for the longest meet Fargo has been able to host in years. The North Dakota Racing Commission, which regulates horse racing in the state and grants funding for the live race meets, convened Thursday, Feb. 15, to grant funding to the Fargo track and Chippewa Downs in Belcourt. The commission approved both tracks hosting eight days, or four weekends each, of live racing at its meeting in November 2023. Thursday, the commission granted $168,000 in purse funds to each track as well as about $180,000 in promotional funds to each track. Park General Manager Hugh Drexler has said he hopes to increase the number of race meets held in Fargo in coming years, which will help attract additional horses and equestrians to the Fargo meet as attendance of the expanding sport in North Dakota continues as well.