Pictures of Defunct racetracks.

[tzipi]

Always heard stories about these tracks. Never got to any of them. Maybe others have and have some stories.

AkSarBen:
(http://img160.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=50570_aks_123_1199lo.jpg)
[IMG]http://img148.imagevenue.com/loc581/th_50618_ak_122_581lo.jpg (http://img148.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=50618_ak_122_581lo.jpg)

Detroit Race Course:
[img=http://img128.imagevenue.com/loc420/th_50807_det1_122_420lo.jpg] (http://img128.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=50807_det1_122_420lo.jpg)
[img=http://img109.imagevenue.com/loc167/th_50853_det_122_167lo.jpg] (http://img109.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=50853_det_122_167lo.jpg)

Garden State:
[img=http://img150.imagevenue.com/loc595/th_50923_garde_122_595lo.jpg] (http://img150.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=50923_garde_122_595lo.jpg)
[img=http://img111.imagevenue.com/loc481/th_50978_gar_122_481lo.jpg] (http://img111.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=50978_gar_122_481lo.jpg)

Bay Meadows:
[img=http://img268.imagevenue.com/loc64/th_51026_bay1_122_64lo.jpg] (http://img268.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=51026_bay1_122_64lo.jpg)
[img=http://img176.imagevenue.com/loc571/th_51127_baY_122_571lo.jpg] (http://img176.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=51127_baY_122_571lo.jpg)


Roosevelt Raceway:
[img=http://img14.imagevenue.com/loc49/th_51081_roo_122_49lo.jpg] (http://img14.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=51081_roo_122_49lo.jpg)

AkSarBen again.

[CBedo]

When I was a kid about nine or ten years old around 1978-9, living in Texas, my grandparents had a couple horses that ran up at Aksarben (not an Indian name for those who don't know, it's Nebraska spelled backwards) and when one of their horses would run, they would take me with them to Omaha. Those were great times, race track during the day and the Holidome at night--miniature golf, pool, jacuzzi & arcade, a kid's dream. Somewhere I have a win picture of their best horse who won a couple low level allowances there, although it sure seemed like stakes class to me at the time.

After they closed the track, didn't they try to turn it into a nice OTB or something?

[Stillriledup]

For fans in the Keystone state, there was an old harness track called Liberty bell. Here are a few pictures of the Bell who went out of business in 1986.

http://gallery.pictopia.com/philly/gallery/8517/

[Cubbymac26]

Tzipi great garden state pics about 5 years ago me and my father took one last lap around the cherry hill over while demolition crews were getting ready to start doing damage...

Upstairs in the phoenix room there was so much marble flooring I'm wondering what they did with it all

I was young when I was there but GSP1 or GS was a very confusing place to be inside good times though

[macguy]

I could look at old pictures of racetracks all day long.
Sad reality to see Bay Meadows making the list, but I suppose that's where we are now.

For those of us in the Pacific Northwest, here's some great pictures and history on Longacres.

http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=7349

And some pictures of the backstretch as it once was.
http://billmcmeans.net/longacres.htm

[46zilzal]

Dufferin Park

[46zilzal]

Connaught Park

[46zilzal]

polo park

[46zilzal]

Blue Bonnets Montreal

[46zilzal]

old Regina race track

[Horseplayersbet.com]

Don't forget about Greenwood.

[46zilzal]

Don't know which older track in Ontario this is

[Robert Goren]

When I was a kid about nine or ten years old around 1978-9, living in Texas, my grandparents had a couple horses that ran up at Aksarben (not an Indian name for those who don't know, it's Nebraska spelled backwards) and when one of their horses would run, they would take me with them to Omaha. But Nebraska is an Indian word meaning flat water.

[senortout]

Dufferin Park

In a curious moment, trying to locate where the old Dufferin was actually located, I found this photo of the bookie action on a tarmac...wow there really are some things that were probably lotsa fun about the good old days...finding your price was still a bit possible.....and the location was Toronto, its barely legible at the bottom of the photo..

[senortout]

I know, probably not a tarmac in those days, what do you suppose the area was paved with, anyhow?

[CBedo]

old Regina race trackIs that Regina, Saskatchewan? I have driven to Regina a couple times in the summer to play poker tournaments. It's a beautiful drive to a seemingly very well run casino (at least they have always gone out of their way to take care of me).

[46zilzal]

Is that Regina, Saskatchewan? I have driven to Regina a couple times in the summer to play poker tournaments. It's a beautiful drive to a seemingly very well run casino (at least they have always gone out of their way to take care of me).
Yes home of the (0ld, founded in 1910) Rough Riders football team

[Brogan]

For fans in the Keystone state, there was an old harness track called Liberty bell. Here are a few pictures of the Bell who went out of business in 1986.

http://gallery.pictopia.com/philly/gallery/8517/
I have two fond memories of Liberty Bell. 1) they had great clam chowder there...was always the best thing to warm you up. For some reason the clam chowder was never the same at Keystone, which eventually became known as Philadelphia Park and 2) hit my first big priced horse there one day.

[Trotman]

Senortout, Dufferin Racetrack was located on the southwest corner of Bloor St and Dufferin St in Toronto.
It was a dual track as well they ran trotters and T-breds.
Another litle bit of history John Chapman driver trainer Roosevelt Raceway, Carl Chapman T-bred trainer for Windfields a few horses and Cliff Chapman auctioneer horses and writer all got their start at Dufferin as bookmakers before pari-mutuels. :)

[banacek]

Yes home of the (0ld, founded in 1910) Rough Riders football team

Loved the pic, 46. I grew up in Regina and spent my summers at the track and Marquis Downs in Saskatoon. And in the 60s and 70s, the Roughriders used to practice in the racetrack infield.

[Pell Mell]

I have two fond memories of Liberty Bell. 1) they had great clam chowder there...was always the best thing to warm you up. For some reason the clam chowder was never the same at Keystone, which eventually became known as Philadelphia Park and 2) hit my first big priced horse there one day.

Just had a discussion the other day about the clam chowder, not only at LB but a lot of other tracks. It was the caterer Harry M. Stevens who made that great chowder and no one seems to have been able to duplicate it.;)

[Garvin27]

Connaught Park

From some older literature on the sport. I believe the Connaught track, later named d'Alymer, then Gatineau ), had the first ever Daily Double Bet in North American racing.

[jayfree41]

These are some of the nicest shots of Bowie Race Course in the early '70's.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cbonney/3190578/

[BlueShoe]

Have no pics,but the first year I came to the racetrack attended long gone Tanforan in San Bruno on a regular basis. Had a real good meet,and made one big score,and thought that making money at the track was easy.Boy,was I in for a rude awakening.Being 21 and naive not a good mix for financial gain at the racetrack.

[KidCapper]

The year was 1983, AK-SAR-BEN ranked #9 in the NATION with an average daily attendance of 13,655. Ak-sar-ben's daily mutuel handle averaged $1,792,547 in 1985. Daily attendance averaged 16,018 in 1978.
A record crowd of 31,969 attended Ak-sar-ben on July 10, 1982. A record $3,519,883 was wagered on June 22, 1985.

Ak-Sar-Ben, one of the nation's most successful tracks until other forms of gambling began taking a toll in the late 1980s, had horse racing every year since 1919 except for two breaks. No racing was conducted from 1930 through 1934 and during the World War II years of 1943 and 1944.


The very first race at AK-SAR-BEN was on July 6th, 1919. It was a very informal HARNESS race. At this time AK-SAR-BEN, was attempting to become part of the Great Western Circuit that consisted of the cities , Des Moines, IA., Springfield, Ill., Minneapolis, MN., and Sedelis, Missouri.

The NEW GRANDSTAND was fully erected in 1921 at a cost of $400,000 and in April, Govenor McKelvie signed a bill in which he created a Racing Commission and a new law allowed para-mutuel wagering for the first time. By 1923, purses reached $137,000.

Most racing fans here in Nebraska are still saddened by the sudden demise of Ak-SAR-BEN. What happened?? Was it a result of a political maneuver that none of us could change!! AK-SAR-BEN was sold to Douglas County (Nebraska), and eventually CLOSED. The only thing standing in the wake of all this tragedy is the once proud GRANDSTAND. And most who drive along 72nd & Pacific Sts. cannot help but feel a sense of nostalgia and anguish over what was once the horse racing track called, "AK-SAR-BEN".

visit the website http://www.ak-sar-ben.com/

[Doc]

For fans in the Keystone state, there was an old harness track called Liberty bell. Here are a few pictures of the Bell who went out of business in 1986.

http://gallery.pictopia.com/philly/gallery/8517/

These pictures made me so sad. I live right down the road from where Liberty Bell used to be - I could walk there. It's now a gigantic mall frequented by lowlives from the city. Too bad someone wasn't willing to buy it and keep it afloat.

[nearco]

Hmm, they all look more or less the same. Interchangeable pics.

Check this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9EN9f8t9HE) out, the old Phoenix Park Racecourse in Dublin. Very unusual config. Sadly no longer with us.

[bob77713]

These pictures made me so sad. I live right down the road from where Liberty Bell used to be - I could walk there. It's now a gigantic mall frequented by lowlives from the city. Too bad someone wasn't willing to buy it and keep it afloat.

The Father of a guy I went to grade school with, was a Driver at Liberty Bell. His Dad's name was Jim Larent. I heard his brother Jimmy also became a Jockey. His Dad must have been successfull because the Attic of their home on the 4th floor was bigger than my house. Fun house to play hide & seek/war games in.

Someone has got to have some pictures of Prescott Downs. That place was the coolest shack I ever been too.

[Brogan]

Just had a discussion the other day about the clam chowder, not only at LB but a lot of other tracks. It was the caterer Harry M. Stevens who made that great chowder and no one seems to have been able to duplicate it.;)
Yes, it was a Harry M Stevens outlet, but no other location's chowder, Stevens or otherwise ever seemed quite as good as that which you got at Liberty Bell. I'd have to believe since it was before the days of massive pre-packaging, it was made on site. Maybe the local water had something to do with it.

[elhelmete]

Some good/sad pics here of the Rockingham fire.

http://www.retroplanet.com/blog/new-england-memories/rockingham-park-memories-salem-nh/