How many now defunct horse racing tracks did you attend?

[gillenr]

Originally Posted by Valuist

I've never known anyone who's been to Camarero in Puerto Rico. I know Jamaica also has a track near Kingston. Don't know anyone who's been there, either.

Don't remember the name, but went there on our honeymoon & El Commandante. I think I've been to 2 El Commandantes but not Camarero.

[Shemp Howard]

Originally Posted by Elliott Sidewater

Keystone doesn't count, even though its on its 3rd name. I was there the day it opened, November 4, 1974. The track was lightning fast (but fair) for the first 3 weeks, then it rained hard and the track was never the same. I think they still have the same drainage problem they had then, 41 years later. But I'm sure they'll fix it soon

Once upon a time my handmade (Andy Beyer inspired) speed figures gave me a substantial edge there, but now that's a fleeting memory. On many racing days, with the high takeout and whale money in the pools every Mon and Tues when there's nothing better to do, it's tough as nails hard to win there. But I haven't given up yet.

I forgot Pocono Downs, I saw t-breds race there once, in the 70's.

Cool Spring Park won the stake that day. Track record still stands.

[cnollfan]

Centennial Park, Denver CO
La Mesa Park, Raton, NM
Santa Fe Downs, Santa Fe, NM
AkSarBen, Omaha, NE
Lincoln State Fair, Lincoln, NE
Atokad, South Sioux City, NE
Hialeah, Hialeah, FL
Bowie Race Course, Bowie, MD
Rockingham Park, NH
Garden State Park (old), Camden, NJ
Woodlands, Kansas City, KS

[BIGTKLO]

Beulah
Great Barrington
Bay Meadows
Hollywood Park
Vallejo (Solano County Fair)
Green Mountain

[cnollfan]

I left Beulah off my list. Loved it. Keeneland lite.

[lamboguy]

Scarborough
Green Mountain
Great Barrington, North Hampton, Weymouth, Marshfield, Brockton fairs
Lincoln
Naragansett
Garden State
Atlantic City
Bowie
Birmingham
Seminole
Hialeah
Blue Grass Downs

left 2 out Rockingham and Sufolk

[Track Collector]

Originally Posted by BIGTKLO

Great Barrington

When were you there?

I was lucky enough to add this track to my visit list. A hurricane destroyed the grandstands in 1995, which was subsequently rebuilt when owner Henry Vara Jr. benefited from some insurance monies. They raced in 1997 and 1998.

It was in 1998 that I met a fellow track collector (Gary), and a special friendship has been on-going since then. We have been on more the 30+ track collecting trips together since than time.

As an aside, it was truly amazing that one day last year when Gary and I were visiting a small racing fair in Ely, NV (White Pine Raceway) we happened to find out that Scanman (Tom) would be there that day as well! Long story short, we ended up getting interviewed and our picture taken by the local paper newspaper. Amongst the 3 of us an approximate total of 570 track visits were "collected". More visits to get in too!

[BIGTKLO]

Late 70's or early 80's. My father was from Waterbury, Connecticut and we would venture back east in the summer.

[levinmpa]

There was a similar thread in 2011 titled "Tracks visited....that no longer exist". In that thread I posted:

Attended Races Live
Bay Meadows
Sportsman's Park
Garden State Park
Solano (Vallejo, CA, Solano County Fair did not race in 2011)
Rockingham Park (Still exists, but no thoroughbred racing for several years)

Did not attend races, but have seen facility in person
Ak-sar-ben
Bowie

Since the 2011 thread, I can add:
Atlantic City Race Course
Hollywood Park
Fairplex Park (Pomona)
Beulah Park

[paulbenny]

Longacres, Renton, Washington.
Sportsman's Park, Cicero, Illinois.
Bowie Race Course, Bowie, Maryland
Garden State Park, New Jersey
Northampton Fair, Northampton, Mass
Great Barrington Fair, Great Barrington, Mass
Atlantic City still runs, but I have been there too.
Bay Meadows.


This makes me feel old

[phattty]

Atlantic city ....garden state.....Bowie......shanondoah......Georgetown... .brandy wine....liberty bell....Tampa greyhounds....Roosevelt raceway

[minethatbird08]

Originally Posted by Aner

No one has mentioned Tanforan, a track south of San Francisco that burned down in 1964.

One day I was there with my buddy Don (at that time a new acquaintance) and he asked a person in our group to buy him a ticket on Vegas Bandit. In those days there were long lines at the selling windows (shorter lines at the cashing windows) so we took turns standing in line with bets from the whole group. This friend brought back a ticket on a different horse that also has Vegas in his name. When Don decided not to mention the mistake, I called him magnanimous. When Don stiffened up, I asked why. He said he thought it was a negative term. We often joked about it later on. Don passed away in 1990 during the running of the Kentucky Derby while I was at Golden Gate Fields making Don's last bet -a win ticket on the undefeated Mr. Frisky. Mr. Frisky lost too.

Sorry about the loss of your friend. Great story, thanks for sharing.

[ultracapper]

Originally Posted by Elliott Sidewater

Liberty Bell, Brandywine, Bowie, Longacres, Garden State, Atlantic City. My favorites among these were Atlantic City and Longacres. Used to make day trips to ATL on Fridays or Saturdays in the late 70's, once went the entire meet (1978 I think) without a losing day in 15 trips. Longacres I visited while on business (around 1990), loved the 5 PM post and twilight racing, gorgeous mountain scenery, country fair atmosphere, back in your room by 9:30 PM. Now THAT was fun. The racing wasn't bad, but the overall experience was off the charts enjoyable. Never got to Emerald Downs, but I always wondered whether it was even half as much fun as old Longacres.

Longacres. God, I loved that track. Emerald is a bad imposter. Feel horrible about it because Ron Crockett has done an absolutely heroic job in keeping live horse racing in the Seattle area this long.

Can't even share all the beautiful stories I have about Longacres. I was young, and energetic, and ALL the scenery was beautiful down there.

[Robert Goren]

I am afraid that I have forgotten about a bunk of them. I do fond memories of a few. Longacres is one that I liked. Aksarben in the 1960s, in the 1980s and 1990s not so much. A little track in Madison that billed itself as the Saratoga of the plains.

[onefast99]

Garden state
Atlantic city
Hialeah
Calder(since it is renamed it counts)
Liberty Bell
T-bred meet at the Meadowlands on dirt