What Russian does not love fast riding! In the era of the Russian Empire, horse racing was particularly popular in Penza, held at the racecourse in the area of modern Western Glade on Mira Street.

In 1848, the Society of Trotters was founded in Penza, and the racecourse was built at that time. It had a racetrack 1600 meters long, 8 stables, and various utility buildings, and a whole herd of horses was kept in the stalls. Races were held regularly and in different formats. Occasionally, races with a sulky, a special two-wheeled carriage, were organized. During major competitions, when jockeys from other cities came to Penza, the stands were always packed. The winner received a substantial prize. For example, in March 1873, a large silver horseshoe was up for grabs, won by merchant Varentsov with a horse named Baloban. In another tournament, a valuable Kabardian saddle was at stake, which went to Mr. Popov and his horse Reliable. However, by the 1880s, the activities of the Society of Trotters gradually faded, and the racecourse remained empty for a long time but was not abandoned. In the early 20th century, demonstration performances by the first Penza aviators were held on its territory.

Such performances attracted a huge number of spectators, and there were no free seats in the stands. The first flight took place in May 1910 when the best ace of the Russian Empire, Alexander Vasiliev, was invited to Penza. Accelerating in a Blériot-11 wooden airplane, he took off from the racecourse and, gaining altitude, turned towards Revolution Street. Then, turning over the stadium, Vasiliev performed several thrilling tricks. The audience erupted in applause and cheers. After landing, the townspeople rushed to lift the pilot in their arms.

The performances of model airplane enthusiasts were no less interesting. Once, architect of the Drama Theater Alexei Yakovlev and merchant Konstantin Tsege rolled their own airplane onto the racecourse. Seeing this marvel of engineering, the spectators began to laugh. The two friends built the chassis from bent beech and covered the wings with canvas. Then they spent another 20 minutes trying to start the airplane. The clumsy machine could not gain altitude, jumped over the fence, and fell onto the road. Fortunately, the pilots only suffered bruises, but despite this, when they were pulled from the cockpit, they laughed loudly.

In the 1990s, the racecourse fell into disrepair and changed owners. The new owner, Vladislav Kuznetsov, invested in the reconstruction of the racecourse, paid off debts, and created a new stud farm. The plans were grand: to equip stands for 7000 spectators and revive the races. Kuznetsov intended to build two hotels and the largest horse exhibition hall in Russia with a 24-meter diameter arena. Visitors could snack in two restaurants featuring Russian and Arabic cuisine.

However, in the year of the planned opening, Kuznetsov died in a car accident. According to the traffic police, he lost control while driving at high speed. After his death, the racecourse was deemed non-compliant with regulations and was demolished.