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Old 08-08-2021, 06:36 PM   #91
Zman179
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Originally Posted by Inner Dirt View Post
I just went to the California Racing Fairs site, looks like there are only 4 left.
It’ll be at least five. Santa Rosa cancelled this year due to the pandemic and is supposed to come back in 2022.
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Old 08-08-2021, 10:28 PM   #92
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Garden State (2nd most missed)
Atlantic City
Meadowlands (original grandstand - much missed)
Sportsman's - (most missed)
Rockingham
Suffolk Downs
Hollywood Park
Prescott Downs - (was surprised not to see this one, Hambletonian!)

For the dogs:

Phoenix Greyhound Park (we wound up adopting our first retired racer there)
Seabrook
Old Wembley Stadium, London
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Old 08-08-2021, 10:40 PM   #93
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Originally Posted by BarchCapper View Post
Garden State (2nd most missed)
Atlantic City
Meadowlands (original grandstand - much missed)
Sportsman's - (most missed)
Rockingham
Suffolk Downs
Hollywood Park
Prescott Downs - (was surprised not to see this one, Hambletonian!)

For the dogs:

Phoenix Greyhound Park (we wound up adopting our first retired racer there)
Seabrook
Old Wembley Stadium, London

A friend and I were going to make a road trip to Prescott Downs when I lived in SoCal but he managed to need a knee operation, which killed the trip. I thought it was supposed to reopen under another name and new ownership.
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Old 08-08-2021, 10:53 PM   #94
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A friend and I were going to make a road trip to Prescott Downs when I lived in SoCal but he managed to need a knee operation, which killed the trip. I thought it was supposed to reopen under another name and new ownership.
Prescott Downs in Prescott proper closed as a racetrack in 2000 (although the fairgrounds/rodeo grounds remained), and the new track was built for the next summer near the neighboring town of Prescott Valley, first being called Yavapai Downs before becoming the present Arizona Downs.
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Old 08-08-2021, 10:58 PM   #95
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Atlantic City
Bowieyears
Garden State ( New)
I guess, in a technical sense, Meadowlands. They don't have a Thoroughbred Meet anymore..
Birmingham Turf Club...When I lived in Hilton Head SC, this was the closest parimutel facility..About 400 miles....Yes, JAX dog tracks were closer. But in the early, 90's Florida Dog tracks had not all yet offered simulcast wagering.
A word about Birmingham. This was a very nice racetrack. It had good sized crowds, The racing was formful. I did not know this, but years later I found out that Larry Collmus got his start in calling races there.

Harness
Liberty Bell,
Brandywine( arguably the best landscaped cleanest racetrack I had visited ) Notwithstanding Keeneland and Saratoga.
Roosevelt..This one I miss the most, RR had its own uniqueness. More steeply banked than most other half milers to give the outside posts a better chance.
And there was what was affectionately known as "Westbury Tote"....The infield tote board listed a range of win , place and show payoffs. As opposed to the traditional amount bet to each pool.
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Old 08-08-2021, 11:01 PM   #96
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Originally Posted by BarchCapper View Post
Prescott Downs in Prescott proper closed as a racetrack in 2000 (although the fairgrounds/rodeo grounds remained), and the new track was built for the next summer near the neighboring town of Prescott Valley, first being called Yavapai Downs before becoming the present Arizona Downs.
Is Zia Park still in business?
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Old 08-08-2021, 11:09 PM   #97
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What I miss most was that Atl City ran the 6 day meet in late April/early May. It was the official dawn of spring/ summer for a degenerate like me. All winter I’d have either bet from home or at Monmouth simulcasts- all indoors and no smoking or live horses. AC was the opposite. Seemingly everyone smoked, and they had this wide open walking ring to see the horses. I couldn’t wait to smell cigar/cigarette smoke and horse shit!
"I love the smell of (horse shit) in the Morning!!!
It smells like....Victory"
A parody of Col Kilgore in "Apocalypse Now"....
I went to AC when it was a real racetrack back in the early 80's. Then went again when it was during its waning days. What a shame.
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Old 08-08-2021, 11:11 PM   #98
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Originally Posted by affirmedny View Post
Both Garden States
Atl City
Liberty Bell
Brandywine
Rockingham
Suffolk
Green Mountain
Calder
Hollywood
Lewiston ME
Hinsdale(trotters)
Sportsmans
Beulah
River Downs
Roosevelt
Biscayne Kennel Club
Flagler
Tampa dogs
Pompano (I think they're done)
Foxboro
Pompano does run an extended harness meet. But, its terrible, The main grandstand is closed. In order to view the races outside, you have to navigate your way thru the casino to the apron.
Its awful
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Old 08-08-2021, 11:14 PM   #99
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This one is very easy for me. Roosevelt Raceway. I have very fond memories of that track.
Me too. I can remember the Saturday night crowds being so large, at times they would delay 1st race post to give people a chance to get in to the facility.
Jack E Lee...Great announcer. Harness is tough to make it sound exciting. Lee had a great cadence and used a wide range of descriptors. He also had a good set of pipes.
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Old 08-08-2021, 11:15 PM   #100
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Is Zia Park still in business?
From what I see on the website, after losing 2020 to COVID, they currently plan to run this fall:

https://www.ziaparkcasino.com/racing
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Old 08-08-2021, 11:25 PM   #101
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Originally Posted by alhattab View Post
"Where it all began, where it is today".

To paraphrase The Pretenders,

"the tracks of the country
have been replaced by shopping malls"

Roosevelt, Liberty Bell and Brandywine all fit that description I believe
That is correct. Roosevelt property is majority residential, with businesses.
Liberty Bell was located in a rapidly growing area north east of Philadelphia.
The demise of Brandywine I could never get my head wrapped around.
It was a very nice place to go. Had good racing. Many of the top outfits from NJ would race there .
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Old 08-08-2021, 11:38 PM   #102
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I play almost exclusively flats now but tarted playing at The Meadowlands harness races when in junior high. We used to hit Yonkers all the time- not too tough a ride from North Jersey. But only went to Roosevelt once! Watched the channel 9 show religiously
What was your first year going to Meadowlands?
I started going in winter 1977. I grew up in the northeast corner of Bergen County. We used to try to get there as fast as we could just to get there quicker.
Our record for the 22 mile trip door to parking space, yes we had rules, was 22 minutes. We were doing like 80 mph on the Palisades Parkway and 80/95. High school kids...What are ya gonna do
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Old 08-09-2021, 11:34 AM   #103
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OK, here are the horseracing tracks that I have been to during live racing that are basically defunct as we speak:

Thoroughbred/QH tracks:
AZ --> Duncan, Flagstaff, St. Johns, Safford, Douglas
CA --> Solano, Bay Meadows, Hollywood Park, Fairplex
FL --> Hialeah, Calder (Gulfstream West)
ID --> Les Boise, Sandy Downs, Ruppert
KS --> Anthony, Eureka
MD --> Marlboro
MA --> Suffolk, Great Barrington, Northampton, Brockton
MI --> Great Lakes Downs, Mount Pleasant Meadows, Hazel Park
MT --> Western Montana Fair (Missoula), Kalispell
NE --> Lincoln (older version not to be confused with newer version on a different site)
NH --> Rockingham
NJ --> Garden State, Atlantic City
OH --> Beulah, River Downs (not Belterra, which is on a slightly different site)
OK --> Blue Ribbon Downs
SD --> Brown County Fair
TX --> Manor Downs
WA --> Walla Walla, Waitsburg, Dayton
Canada --> Northlands Park, Stampede Park, Kin Park, Sunflower Downs, Desert Park

Harness:
OH --> Lisbon
ME --> Scarborough Downs
VA --> Oak Ridge Estates

While not every track can be your most favorite, those bolded above had special appeal.
I missed 2.

Bowie MD ran thoroughbreds, and Blue Grass Downs in Paducah KY (which ran thoroughbreds a very long time ago), ran harness races. BGD had 6 races with a per race purse of $1400. Unbeknownst to me, my first-time visits to both tracks took place on their final year of racing.

On the uniqueness factor, Anthony KS was a 1/2 mile track that alternated horse races (TB, QH, and paint/appaloosa) with dog races (inner 1/4 mile track). The Lisbon OH harness fair racing track could accommodate 5 or 6 runners starting near the top of the stretch, but tapered down to 2-wide entering the first turn, and I can not be 100% sure, but I think it remained only 2-wide until they reached the top of the stretch again.
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Old 08-09-2021, 03:29 PM   #104
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I bet this tops the list

Ascot Park, Akron Ohio
Toledo Raceway Toledo Ohio
Grandview Harness Cleveland Ohio
Randall Park Cleveland Ohio
Painessville Harness Cleveland Ohio
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Last edited by Gekish; 08-09-2021 at 03:38 PM.
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Old 08-09-2021, 03:58 PM   #105
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And there was what was affectionately known as "Westbury Tote"....The infield tote board listed a range of win , place and show payoffs. As opposed to the traditional amount bet to each pool.
I can hear Jack E. Lee now: “And the Jade Horse can SEE ‘EM ALL! They’re by the half in one one and one…”
The horse numbers were yellow, the WPS probables were white and the odds were red. Why this tote board hadn’t been copied by other tracks boggles my mind.

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