What tracks have you been to?

[Afleet]

Just got back from my 2nd visit to Remington Park-underrated in my opinion. Oaklawn is my favorite, try to go every year, won my first race as an owner there so it is very special to me. Been to many tracks, but the most interesting would probably be the Curragh in Ireland. First and only visit to a European racetrack-little kids are allowed to bet-what a great country!

[cj]

I could make a list of at least 20 I've been to that don't even exist any more.

[Track Collector]

What do Track Collectors do.....they collect visits to lots of different tracks!

I just added 2 new ones to my list the past few days, so here is my updated list, which I believe puts me at 134 for now:

Tracks visited during live Thoroughbred/QH racing with pari-mutuel wagering. Those with * have closed and/or have did not run a meet in 2017:

AZ --> Turf Paradise, Rillito Park, Duncan*, Safford*, Douglas*, Sonoita, Flagstaff*, St. Johns*, Yavapai*
AR --> Oaklawn Park
CA --> Santa Anita, Del Mar, Solano*, Ferdale, Los Alamitos, Fresno, Bay Meadows*, Fairplex*, Hollywood Park*, Pleasanton
DE --> Delaware Park
FL --> Gulfstream Park, Calder (Gulfstream Park West), Tampa Bay Downs, Hialeah*
ID --> Les Boise*, Sandy Downs, Rupert, Blackfoot, Burley
IL --> Arlington Park, Hawthorne, Fairmount Park
IN --> Indiana Downs, Hoosier Park
IA --> Prairie Meadows
KS --> Eureka*, Anthony Downs*
KY --> Churchill Downs, Keeneland, Ellis Park, Kentucky Downs
LA --> Evangeline Downs (Newer one in Opelousas), Louisiana Downs, Delta Downs, Fair Grounds
MD --> Pimlico, Laurel Park, Bowie Race Course*, Timonium (Fair), Marlboro*
MA --> Suffolk Downs, Northampton Fair*, Great Barrington Fair*, Brockton Fair*
MI --> Great Lakes Downs*, Mount Pleasant Meadows*
MN --> Canterbury Downs
MT --> Western Montana Fair*, Kalispell*, Great Falls
NE --> Lincoln (Older location at State Fair Park)*, Fonner Park, Atokad Downs, Columbus
NV --> Ely (White Pine Raceway), Elko
NH --> Rockingham Park*
NJ --> Monmouth Park, Garden State Park*, Meadowlands, Atlantic City Race Course*
NM --> Albuquerque, Sunland Park
NY --> Aqueduct, Belmont Park, Saratoga, Finger Lakes
ND --> North Dakota Horse Park, Chippewa Downs
OH --> Thistledown, Beulah Park*, River Downs*, Belterra Park, Van Wert, Mahoning Valley Race Course
OK --> Remington Park, Fair Meadows Tulsa, Will Rogers Downs, Blue Ribbon Downs*
OR --> Portland Meadows, Grants Pass Downs, Tillamook, Union, Prineville, Burns
PA --> Philadelphia Park (Parx), Penn National Race Course
SD --> Fort Pierre, Brown County Fair
TX --> Sam Houston, Retama Park, Manor Downs*, Gillispie County Fair
VA --> Colonial Downs*
WA --> Emerald Downs, Sun Downs, Walla Walla*, Waitsburg*, Dayton*
WV --> Charles Town Races, Mountaineer Park
WY --> Energy Downs
Canada --> Woodbine, Fort Erie, Assinaboia Downs, Stampede Park*, Century Downs, Northlands Park, Kin Park*, Desert Park*, Rock Mountain Turf Club (Lethbridge), Hastings, Grand Prairie, Sunflower Downs*

Tracks Visited during live Harness racing with pari-mutuel wagering:

DE --> Dover Downs, Harrington Raceway
NY --> Saratoga Raceway
OH --> Northfield Downs, Marion County Fair, Lisbon, Eaton
PA --> Pocono Downs
VA --> Woodstock, Oak Ridge Estates



My top favorites:
Northampton Fair, MA
Crooked River Round Up (Prineville, OR)
Timonium Fair MD
Rocky Mountain Turf Club (Lethbridge, AB Canada)
Eureka KS
Dayton WA

Worst tracks:
None, although some are completely void of character


Time to queue Scanman.............hey Tom, what is your list of tracks up to now, which is well north of 300?

[titans1127]

Aqueduct
Belmont
Monticello
Yonkers

Hoping to add Saratoga to the list next summer

[rrpic6]

Since I work at Mahoning Valley and will be at Keeneland again this Fall, I won't rank the tracks in any order of preference, to protect the innocent.

Tracks that still exist:

Ohio: T-Bred: Mahoning Valley, Thistledown and Belterra (River Downs) Harness: Northfield, Canfield Fair
Pennsylvania: T-Bred: Presque Isle. Harness: The Meadows
New York: T-Bred: Saratoga, Finger Lakes
West Virginia: T-Bred: Mountaineer, Charles Town
Kentucky: T-Bred: Keeneland, Churchill Downs, Turfway. Harness: The Red Mile
Illinois: T-Bred: Arlington Park, Hawthorne
Maryland: T-Bred: Pimlico, Laurel
Florida: T-Bred: Tampa Bay Downs, Gulfstream Park. Harness: Pompano Park
New Jersey: T-Bred: Monmouth Park, Atlantic City
California: T-Bred: Del Mar
Michigan: Harness: Hazel Park (now it's T-Bred).
Indiana: T-Bred: Hoosier Park (now it's Harness).
Delaware: T-Bred: Delaware Park
Canada: T-Bred: Woodbine, Fort Erie. Harness: Flamboro Downs

Tracks that are shuttered:

Ohio: T-Bred: Beulah Park. Harness: Raceway Park
Michigan: T-Bred: Detroit Race Course
Illinois: T-Bred/Harness: Sportsman's Park
California: T-Bred: Hollywood Park
New Jersey: T-Bred/Harness: Garden State Park

Most enjoyable (not 99% grumpy old men, AKA "Eye Candy") are Keeneland, Gulfstream, Saratoga, Pimlico (Preakness Day only) and of course Del Mar where I was approached by 2 Blondes in their 20's that wanted to know if I was Billy Bob Thornton!

RR

[wisconsin]

Arlington
Sportsman's (really miss)
Hawthorne
Balmoral (defunct)
Washington Park (defunct)
Aurora Downs (defunct)
Maywood (defunct)
Canterbury
Tampa Bay Downs
Mountaineer
Beulah (defunct)
Turfway
River Downs (and as Belterra)
Thistledown
Fairmount
Hollywood (defunct)
Golden Gate
Turf Paradise
Monmouth
Penn National
Del Mar
Keeneland
Hoosier
Emerald
Suffolk
Arapahoe
Hialeah
Gulfstream
Oaklawn
Indiana Downs
Churchill
Ellis Park
Saratoga
Finger Lakes
Kentucky Downs
Lincoln (defunct)
Prairie Meadows
Calder (before it's current form)
Presque Isle
Belmont Park
Columbus
Delaware
Charles Town
Laurel
Parx
Timonium
Evangeline
Louisiana Downs
Lone Star
Fresno Fair
Los Alamitos
Santa Anita
Hazel Park
Horsemen's Omaha

Favorites:

Saratoga
Keeneland
Del Mar
Columbus (great atmosphere)
Old River Downs (used to have roaming dixieland band)
Sportsman's (sad ending)
Arlington

[Afleet]

Originally Posted by wisconsin

Arlington
Sportsman's (really miss)
Hawthorne
Balmoral (defunct)
Washington Park (defunct)
Aurora Downs (defunct)
Maywood (defunct)
Canterbury
Tampa Bay Downs
Mountaineer
Beulah (defunct)
Turfway
River Downs (and as Belterra)
Thistledown
Fairmount
Hollywood (defunct)
Golden Gate
Turf Paradise
Monmouth
Penn National
Del Mar
Keeneland
Hoosier
Emerald
Suffolk
Arapahoe
Hialeah
Gulfstream
Oaklawn
Indiana Downs
Churchill
Ellis Park
Saratoga
Finger Lakes
Kentucky Downs
Lincoln (defunct)
Prairie Meadows
Calder (before it's current form)
Presque Isle
Belmont Park
Columbus
Delaware
Charles Town
Laurel
Parx
Timonium
Evangeline
Louisiana Downs
Lone Star
Fresno Fair
Los Alamitos
Santa Anita
Hazel Park
Horsemen's Omaha

Favorites:

Saratoga
Keeneland
Del Mar
Columbus (great atmosphere)
Old River Downs (used to have roaming dixieland band)
Sportsman's (sad ending)
Arlington

Are you saying Columbus NE is great atmosphere?

[chiguy]

Arlington Park
Hawthorne
Maywood (H)
Balmoral (H)
Sportsmans Park
Santa Anita
Del Mar
Hollywood
Los Alamitos
Pomona
Caliente
Golden Gate
Turf Paradise
Churchill Downs
Suffolk Downs
Saratoga
Philadelphia Park

Epsom Downs
Lingfield
Windsor
Chester
Goodwood
Galway
Roscommon
Chantilly
Longchamps

Most beautiful was Chantilly, second was Longchamps. The village of Lingfield is amazing, easy train from London. Ugliest was a tie between Caliente and Sportsmans Park.

[proximity]

i think the order could easily change if i did this again tomorrow but i'll try:

9. PIMLICO: just not motivated to go there anymore.

8. LAUREL: could've been the best if mr stronach got slots.

7. PARX: poker and parkettes save this place.

6. MONMOUTH: just there once. great eye candy though.

5. SARATOGA: a little far for me. good company though: a lot of pa members.

4. DELAWARE: hate making this drive but a nice track with a beautiful paddock. nice handicapping contests. good casino.

3. TIMONIUM: traditional end of summer ritual. energetic fair environment.

2. PENN NATIONAL: didn't enjoy the juice era(s) but i like the people and the layout of the clubhouse. no place like home.

1. CHARLES TOWN: could be better like tiffanio says, but still my favorite live racing trip to make.

[exactatom]

Fairmount Park- Local track. Poorly managed, clubhouse area is nice though. I get the sense they wish they could just operate as an
OTB and not put on live cards.

Arlington Park A Beautiful facility.

Churchill Downs So much history. Like going to Wrigley.

Keeneland Fans need to go to the auctions as well. So fascinating to see how the barns build their future stables via auction.

Ellis Park Very enjoyable country fair type setting. Sit in the Sky Theater for a good buffet and interesting view on the track from high above.

Turfway Was there on a cold Winter, Friday night, but they had a band and put on a decent show for that time of year.

Kentucky Downs Unlike any other race track you will experience.

Oaklawn Love how the whole town gets into the horse race scene. Good product and patrons made to feel welcome.

Fairgrounds Very limited outdoor seating options. Amazed at how small the paddock was.

Hawthorne Was there in late 90's.

Bluegrass Downs Now an OTB.

Thisteldown Was there in 1980. Hard for me to give an opinion.

Gulfstream Was there in the 1970's.

Hoosier Was there for both thoroughbred and harness.

Indiana Grand Emphasis on the casino.

Closed tracks:

Cahokia Downs Heard Dave Johnson call the races.
Sportsman's Park
Balmoral

[wisconsin]

Originally Posted by Afleet

Are you saying Columbus NE is great atmosphere?

The track was. Great time, lively and noisy crowd, bizzare train horns right next to the paddock and even during the races. Fun experience, for me anyhow. I really enjoyed my visit.

[Scanman]

Originally Posted by TiffaniO

What tracks have you been to, and what order would you rank them in?

Here's my list, from most enjoyable to least.

Mountaineer-I wish I was closer. I love sitting outside in the cushion sits on the apron.

Mahoning Valley- I had fun, a little small but enjoyable.

Colonial Downs- Too bad it closed, they tried really hard with promotions etc to get people there.

Timonium- Loved the bullring.

Thistledown- Went there to watch my horse run. Nice people.

Penn National- Restaurant is good, good drinks.

Laurel- Lots of places to walk up and get food, lots cleaner than it used to be.

Pimlico- Overall good experience.

Delaware- Fun place.

Charles Town- Lots of good times here, but so much could be better.

Calder- Okay, this place was kinda scary!

Del Mar- Hated it! It cost us almost $50 by the time we parked, got a program and DRF, and two really bad seats. We stayed 4 races and left.

TiffaniO - This is always a fun thread for me, as I enjoy seeing what tracks others have been to. Being from PA (originally from Harrisburg), it looks like you've made it to most of the mid-Atlantic tracks. So I will suggest you try to visit some of the Steeplechase venues in that area. Most will probably be no more than an hour or two drive. You can check out my list from a previous thread: http://www.paceadvantage.com/forum/s...scanman&page=5

These are the ones that I have added since that thread:

United States
Albuqueque
Belterra Park
Columbus
Charleston
Elko County Fair
Fairplex Park
Ferndale
Fresno
Glyndon
Grants Pass
Great Falls
Harney County Fair
High Hope-Lexington
Pleasanton
Ruidoso Downs
Santa Cruz County Fair
Santa Rosa
Sweetwater Downs
Van Wert County Fair
White Pine-Ely
Will Rogers Downs

Australia
Ararat Park
Cessnock
Coffs Harbour
Cranbourne
Dederang
Doomben
Drouin
Dubbo
Echuca
Gawler
Geelong
Gold Coast
Gosford
Gulgong
Hanging Rock
Horsham
Kyneton Park
Mallawa
Mansfield
Moree
Morphettville
Mornington
Quirindi
Penola
Port Macquarie
Sale
Seymour
Strathalbyn
Stony Creek
Tamworth
Taree
Terang
Wangaratta
Wellington
Woolamai
Yarra Valley

Canada
Assiniboia Downs
Desert Park
Lethbridge
Melville Agri-Park
Millarville

Czech Republic
Most
Pardubice
Velka Chuchle

Mexico
Las Americas

Originally Posted by Track Collector

Time to queue Scanman.............hey Tom, what is your list of tracks up to now, which is well north of 300?

Chris - Just got to #357, Sweetwater Downs. Was in jeopardy of breaking a streak of
34 years of visiting at least one new track. Still may try an add Mahoning Valley this year.

Lots of leave saved up, so next year, I'll be going on a terror.

[Scanman]

Originally Posted by deathandgravity

1. Longacres (closed) Still pissed they closed it. Most of the land is still vacant

2. Kenilworth Racecourse (SA) - found out I was from the States & going to be in Cape Town awhile. Gave my wife & I club house passes for a week.

3. Flemington Racecourse (Aus)

4. Hollywood Park (deceased) - Love Hollywood. Close to LAX, so when I went to LA for work.. always managed a little stopover

5. Del Mar

6. Santa Anita

7. Belmont

8. Arlington Park

9. Monmouth Park - Breeders Cup with the Sopranos.

10.Golden Gate

11.Aqueduct - Winter meet & damn was it cold

12.Prescott Downs (closed)

13.Bamako Hippodrome (Mali) - Tear gas & riot. Good fun

14.Turf Paradise

14.Rillito Park

16.Los Alamitos - no matter how low you are, there is always someone lower... & they are @ LA

17.Yakima Meadows (closed)

18.Portland Meadows.

19.Emerald Downs - Soulless place built way outside of Seattle with no Turf!

Nice Post.

Kenilworth - I have found that most overseas tracks will provide this type of treatment, most especially if you contact them in advance.

Flemington - I hear it's fantastic. Saving that one for #500 on Melbourne Cup day.

Bamako - Too funny. Are they still racing?

I feel the same about Longacres. Beautiful racecourse.

[Scanman]

Originally Posted by Hambletonian

Thoroughbred/QH

Three County Fair (Closed)
Marshfield Fair (Closed)
Brockton Fair
Great Barrington Fair (Closed)
Suffolk Downs
Saratoga Race Course
Belmont Park
Aqueduct Racetrack
Meadowlands
Monmouth Park
Atlantic City (Closed)
Philadelphia Park
Penn National
Mahoning Valley Race Course
Charles Town
Fair Hill MD
Delaware Park
Brown County Fair SD
Eureka KS (Closed)
Anthony Downs KS (Closed)
Lincoln NE
Fair Meadows OK
Arapahoe Park
Gateway Downs CO (Closed)
Western Montana Fair
Marias Fair MT
Yellowstone Downs MT
Miles City MT
Northwest Montana Fair MT
Les Bois ID
Pocatello Downs ID
Sandy Downs ID
Eastern Idaho Fair
Jerome County Fair ID
Rupert Downs ID
Oneida County Fair ID
Wyoming Downs
Energy Downs WY
Elko County Fair NV
Humboldt County Fair NV
Walla Walla WA
Playfair Racecourse (Closed)
Dayton WA
Waitsburg WA
Mohave County Fair AZ (Closed)
Apache County Fair AZ
Cochise County Fair AZ
Gila County Fair AZ
Yuma County Fair AZ (Closed)
Greenlee County Fair AZ
Graham County Fair AZ
Santa Cruz County Fair AZ
Flagstaff AZ
Turf Paradise AZ
Bay Meadows (Closed)
Humboldt County Fair CA
California State Fair CA
Santa Rosa
Tilamook County Fair OR
Harney County Fair OR
Crooked River Roundup OR
Grants Pass
Evergreen Park AB CA
Lethbridge AB CA
Stampede Park AB CA (Closed)
Northlands Park AB CA
Ajax Downs ON CA
Scottsville Racecourse South Africa
Presidente Remon Panama
Hippodrome de Carrere Martinique, France
Hippodrome d’Auteuil France
Hippodrome de Saint-Cloud
Hippodrome de Maisons-Laffitte France
Hippodrome de Longchamp France
Garrison Savannah Barbados

Great list!!! You've been to quite a few that I haven't and many I won't have the chance. Very envious. Might give Garrison Savannah a try in November.

[Scanman]

Originally Posted by wisconsin

The track was. Great time, lively and noisy crowd, bizzare train horns right next to the paddock and even during the races. Fun experience, for me anyhow. I really enjoyed my visit.

I agree with you Wisconsin. Columbus is a great little track. Wonderful hospitality and a different type of racing experience. BTW, nice list!