Rosecroft Raceway To Suspend Live Racing

[Teach]

Rosecroft Raceway to suspend live racing.

http://www.ustrotting.com/absolutenm/anmviewer.asp?a=28042&z=1

[JustRalph]

Now we are getting somewhere. I can think of about 25 other places that should be become OTB's with a training track...............

[whyhorseofcourse]

Is Columbus Oh. a typo?

[Teach]

Sorry to see Rosecroft fall by the wayside. It will join other harness tracks that I’ve visited that are either no longer there, or are no longer conducting harness racing meets: Hinsdale, Green Mountain, Liberty Bell, Roosevelt, Foxboro, and Brandywine.

As I think back, I visited Rosecroft on only one occasaion. It was during the early 1980s (hard to believe it’s been over 25 years).

I recall it was April. I was just beginning a school vacation. A friend of mine who enjoyed racing invited me to come down to the Washington, D.C. area for a few days. My friend was then working for "The Agency"; he was stationed in Warrenton, VA.

I recall flying into Dulles from Boston’s Logan Airport. My buddy was there to meet me. My visit actually had a two-fold purpose: racing and historic sight-seeing.

On my first night in town, my friend and I headed into Washington D.C. to take in the races at Rosecroft. I recall we crossed the Potomac River via the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. We were now in Maryland. Shortly thereafter, we’d be in Oxon Hill, MD, home of Roscecroft Raceway.

I can’t tell you much about the racing, except that I remember a young Tom Jackson being one of the drivers. I also remember that a guy who heard me speaking to my friend asked me if I went to Harvard. I told him that I was from the Boston area and that I didn’t attend Harvard but another Boston-area college.

The next morning, we headed toward Manassas (Bull Run) to look over the Civil War battlefield site. I recall, en route, we stopped for breakfast. It was somewhat off the beaten path. I remember the people in the dinnette were gawking at my friend and me like we were from Mars.

After visiting Manassas, we headed up to Charles Town for the flats. The track looked like somebody’s backyard. After leaving Charles Town, we stopped off in Sharpsburg, MD (Antietam) and also Harper’s Ferry (site of John Brown’s hanging).

The next day, we again headed into Washington, D.C. I wanted to take in Ford’s Theater. The Theater had a nice museum downstairs. Later, we went to one of the strip joints on one of the alphabet streets. Two nearly nude girls were dancing on a stage. Guys were pinning dollar bills on them. We had a couple beers (drank from the bottles) and watched the show.

The final day, I had a late-afternoon flight. My buddy had to go into his "Agency" job. I headed south to Fredericksburg on the Rappahannock and also to the area of Chancellorsville. It’s said that the name "hooker" (prostitute) came from Union General "Fighting Joe" Hooker whose army was followed by an entourage of harlots (Hooker took part in the fighting at Chancellorsville; I believe a pillar fell on his head). Leave it to Massachusetts, we have an equestrian statue of General Hooker on the State House lawn.

That was it. The one and only time I visited Rosecroft.

[JustRalph]

Is Columbus Oh. a typo?

USTA is in Columbus Ohio.

[whyhorseofcourse]

USTA is in Columbus Ohio.
Ahhh. OK

[Postime]

Rosecroft Raceway to suspend live racing.

http://www.ustrotting.com/absolutenm/anmviewer.asp?a=28042&z=1

Only the strong will survive, this is just the start, gasoline price's will be the sword that finishes weak entertainment values across the country, "people will have to give up something".:(

[Cam Fella]

I was visiting as trainers stable in Ontario today and he was telling me some stories. Said there are a lot of drugs that come from US that people in Ontario use. He also said there was a guy busted about two years ago and he had a list of 800 names of horse people, mainly trainers who were regular clients of his. A lot of top name thoroughbred connections and some harness people. Which included OJC directors trainers. He also said the Director of Standardbred Racing at Woodbine, last name Murray, was one of his clients and that this person was also a silent owner on many horses in the past. What a game.

[cj]

Hard to believe, being in such a nice neighborhood and all. :rolleyes: