Lost horse racing venues
Thoroughbred and harness racetracks that have stopped racing. Their grandstands and large land parcels have often been redeveloped into neighborhoods, shopping centers and, in some cases, new stadiums.
41 venues
View on map →Arlington Downs
Arlington Downs was W. T. Waggoner's Thoroughbred track in Arlington, Texas, opened in 1929 and closed after Texas repealed parimutuel betting in 1937. Its buildings were razed in 1958.
Arlington Park
A major Chicago-area Thoroughbred track that raced from 1927 to 2021, birthplace of the Arlington Million, bought and demolished by the Chicago Bears for a stadium project whose future is unsettled.
Bay Meadows Racetrack
San Mateo's Thoroughbred track from 1934 to 2008, long California's oldest continuously operating racetrack, now replaced by the mixed-use Bay Meadows neighborhood.
Bel Air Race Track
Bel Air Race Track was a Thoroughbred track in Bel Air, Maryland, dating from the 1870s and closed around 1960-1962. The Harford Mall now covers the site.
Benning Race Track
Benning Race Track was Washington, D.C.'s Thoroughbred track from 1890 until Congress banned racing in the District in 1908. The Mayfair Mansions apartments now stand on the site.
Beulah Park
Beulah Park in Grove City, near Columbus, was Ohio's first Thoroughbred track, racing from 1923 until 2014. The property has been rebuilt as a housing and park development.
Birmingham Race Course
Birmingham Race Course opened as a thoroughbred track in 1987, added greyhounds in 1992 and ran only greyhounds from 1995 until its last live race on March 18, 2020. The building continues as a casino.
Bowie Race Track
Bowie Race Track in Prince George's County, Maryland, raced Thoroughbreds from 1914 to 1985 and pioneered winter racing in the 1950s. The grounds were later used as a training center.
Calder Race Course
Calder Race Course in Miami Gardens, Florida, ran Thoroughbreds from 1971 until its last race in November 2020, latterly as Gulfstream Park West. Its grandstand was demolished in 2016, and a casino remains on the property.
Detroit Race Course
Detroit Race Course in Livonia, Michigan, was metro Detroit's main Thoroughbred track from 1950 until its last live race in November 1998. It was torn down for commercial redevelopment.
Foxboro Park
Foxboro Park, opened as Bay State Raceway in 1947, was a harness (and later Thoroughbred) track in Foxborough, Massachusetts, until 1997. It was torn down for Gillette Stadium.
Garden State Park
A Cherry Hill track that opened in 1942, burned in 1977, was rebuilt as a lavish glass-walled plant in 1985 and closed for good in 2001, now replaced by a retail and housing town center.
Golden Gate Fields
Golden Gate Fields was a Thoroughbred track on the San Francisco Bay shoreline in Albany and Berkeley, California, from 1941 to 2024. It was the last major Thoroughbred track in Northern California.
Gravesend Race Track
Gravesend Race Track was the Brooklyn Jockey Club's Thoroughbred track from 1886 until anti-betting laws stopped New York racing around 1910. It hosted the Preakness Stakes for more than a decade.
Havre de Grace Racetrack
Havre de Grace Racetrack in northeastern Maryland hosted Thoroughbred racing from 1912 to 1950. The Maryland National Guard now uses the site and some old buildings.
Hazel Park Raceway
Hazel Park Raceway, north of Detroit, hosted Thoroughbred and harness racing from 1949 until it closed in April 2018. An Amazon distribution center now stands on the site.
Hinsdale Greyhound Park
Hinsdale Greyhound Park in southwestern New Hampshire began as a harness track in 1958, switched to greyhounds, and closed in debt in late 2008. It was demolished in 2013.
Hollywood Park Racetrack
A Thoroughbred track founded by Hollywood studio figures that raced in Inglewood from 1938 to 2013, hosted the first Breeders' Cup, and was razed for the district containing SoFi Stadium.
Ingleside Racetrack
Ingleside Racetrack was a San Francisco Thoroughbred track from 1895 to 1906. Its oval survives as Urbano Drive in the Ingleside Terraces neighborhood.
Jamaica Race Course
Jamaica Race Course in Queens ran Thoroughbred racing from 1903 to 1959 and was home to the Wood Memorial. It was razed in 1960 and replaced by the Rochdale Village cooperative.
Jerome Park Racetrack
Jerome Park was the American Jockey Club's racetrack in what is now the Bronx, home of the first Belmont Stakes in 1867. It closed for the Jerome Park Reservoir.
Kentucky Association Race Track
The Kentucky Association track in Lexington was one of America's oldest racecourses, operating from about 1828 until 1933. Its gates were later replicated at Keeneland.
Latonia Race Track
Latonia Race Track in Covington, Kentucky, was one of the country's leading Thoroughbred tracks from 1883 to 1939. It was razed in 1941, and a shopping center now covers most of the site.
Liberty Bell Park
Liberty Bell Park in Northeast Philadelphia hosted harness racing from 1963 to 1985 and Thoroughbreds from 1969 to 1974. The Franklin Mills shopping mall was built on the site.