Comments on: Another one bites the dust…..

By: Bob C.

Bob C. — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 17:26:14 +0000

Miles Park in Louisville (you”ll go miles for better racing) later renamed Commonwealth Racecourse is another that comes to mind. Hard to imagine that the so-called leaders in Thoroughbred racing don’t find this disturbing. I guess that’s why racing finds itself in such a predicament. NO LEADERSHIP!

By: Erwin

Erwin — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 00:29:40 +0000

Centennial Race Course near Denver, closed 1983; Cahokia Downs, Illinois, near Fairmount park; La Mesa Park, New Mexico; Shenandoah Downs, WV (near Charles Town); Yakima Meadows, WA; Dover Downs, Delaware.

The track with nine lives: Atlantic City! Left for dead many times, it lives on, and will host a 6-day all turf meet in Spring 2009. This place ought to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places – it’s a unique track, built out of bricks with the best turf course in America. It is most worthy of preservation. If you can make it once, please come!

By: randy haynal

randy haynal — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 09:54:31 +0000

In Ohio we lost Ascot Park and Randall Park in 1971.

By: tim tullock

tim tullock — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:59:35 +0000

As a young boy who wathched his first horse race at Great Barrington Fair, and later as a teenager who got his first job on the rscetrack at Northampton Fair,(worked for Joe Cesarini and “the king of the fairs” Carlos Figueroa), and as a young man winning his first race as a trainer at Marshfeild Fair, the passing of the fair circuit in New England was a very sad event. I beleive the passing of the fairs and racetracks like them has had a very negative impact on the game we love. I refer to them as grass roots horse racing, where kids (our future fan base got to see horse racing) without going to a major venue. The fairs will never come back, but a day dosen’t go by that I don’t think about them,and the fun I had, and the things I learned. I will be forever grateful to the Mass Fairs.

By: baron lancer

baron lancer — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 19:44:13 +0000

I disagree with what Tim Peterson said about Sportsman’s Park. Hey Tim, all of Chicago is cold and dreary in February and March! For me, it’s where I caught the racing bug. I felt comfortable being there. Hawthorne is big and plain, Maywood is small and smokey and Arlington is too businesslike for me. Balmoral comes close to being like Sportsman’s. Even when they expanded it to 7/8 miles it brought forth good thoroughbred and harness racing. A boneheaded business decision brought about the demise of my favorite harness track. Now it’s going to be a mall. My condolences to Stormy Bidwill of the National Jockey Club on the loss because of his Knuckleheaded son!

By: thespaaah

thespaaah — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 04:03:12 +0000

Brandywine bit the dust years ago..It’s now the site of a mall. Roosevelt Raceway in Westbury ,NY was the site of the first ever nightime harness race program, closed in the early 90′s..Ironically it’s right next to a mall. BTW ,acoording to my best knowledge of NJ simulcasting Regs, a race track that has simulcast wagering must stage a meet of a mininmu amount of dates. I believe AC runs 5 race programs each year

By: Tom

Tom — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 20:35:52 +0000

Marlboro,MD Hagerstown,MD Pocono Downs, Foxboro Downs, Commodore Downs Are among some that I recall same age as you……..

By: dan keough

dan keough — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 05:59:01 +0000

Wow its like I took a bullet reading this blog. Living in mass. The fairs would be going full blast.Marshfield fair this week,labor day Northampton, then on to great barrington and back a few years it was berkshire fair after that,I am only 50 years old,but boy I do miss all of that racing
on the bullrings.Most of the passing of these
places had to do with local political crap and
not the people who raced or the fans who would
watch. I still run into people from these tracks and the talk goes maybe someday but
we all know someday will never come back.

By: John

John — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 03:06:49 +0000

…but really, has Beulah actually had Thoroughbred racing for, say, the past 10 years? There was a horse in an allowance there that was giving kids rides at the Delaware County Fair earlier in the week.

By: Ellie Burke

Ellie Burke — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 00:01:40 +0000

Another track to close was Atlantic City Racetrack in New Jersey. My parents used to go and I still have a program pencil from there.

Is Brandywine Harness Track outside of Philadelphia still open?