Site redevelopedHorse racing Motorsports Partially verified

Roosevelt Raceway

Westbury, New York · Racetrack

Roosevelt Raceway in Westbury, Long Island, began as an auto racing circuit in 1936 and became a landmark night harness track from 1940 to 1988. The site is now shopping centers, condominiums and apartments.

Opened: 1940
Closed: 1988
Demolished: 2002
Capacity: —

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History

The track was first built as a road-racing circuit for the 1936 Vanderbilt Cup. In 1940 George Morton Levy's group reopened it for night harness racing, and the mobile starting gate introduced there in 1946 became standard for the sport. A larger grandstand opened in 1957, and a 1960 crowd of 54,861 watched the International Trot.

Attendance declined in later decades, and the track closed in July 1988. The grandstand stood empty until 2002, and the land has since been filled with retail, condominiums and apartments, some on streets with racing names.

Why it matters: It popularized night harness racing and introduced the mobile starting gate.

Timeline

1936
Auto racing circuit[1,2]
The site opened as an auto racing circuit and hosted the 1936 Vanderbilt Cup.
September 2, 1940
Harness racing begins[1,2]
Night harness racing opened before about 5,000 people.
May 24, 1946
Mobile starting gate[1]
The mobile starting gate was introduced in harness racing here.
June 30, 1956
First Messenger Stakes[1]
The inaugural Messenger Stakes was run.
August 20, 1960
Record crowd[1]
A card featuring the International Trot drew 54,861 people.
July 15, 1988
Track closes[1]
Harness racing at Roosevelt Raceway ended.
2002
Grandstand demolished[1]
The grandstand was torn down.

The site today

Physical status	Site redeveloped[1]
Current use	Westbury Plaza shopping center, Meadowbrook Pointe condominiums, a Home Depot, apartments and a movie theater[1,2]
Mapped location	Former venue site

Street View near the former site · Satellite view (external, current imagery)

Venue facts

Location	Unincorporated Town of Hempstead, just outside the village of Westbury, Long Island, Westbury, New York[1]
Venue type	Racetrack
Sports	Horse racing, Motorsports
Level	Harness, AAA
Opened	September 2, 1940[1,2]
Last used for sports	July 15, 1988[1]
Demolished	2002[1]
Physical status	Site redeveloped
Architect	Arthur Froehlich (1957 grandstand-clubhouse)[1]
Construction cost	$20 million (1957 grandstand rebuild)[1]
Owner / operator	Old Country Trotting Association (George Morton Levy); later Madison Square Garden; Roosevelt Raceway Associates from 1984
Closure	Declining harness racing business; the property was sold for redevelopment.

Documented details

Some apartment streets on the former property, such as Trotting Lane, refer to the track.[1]
The Westbury Plaza shopping center on the site still bears the Roosevelt Raceway name.[1,2]

Sources

Roosevelt Raceway, Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-10-19
Supports: address, architect, closed, construction cost, coordinates, current land use, demolished, events, opened
Roosevelt Raceway circuit overview, Racing Circuits. Accessed 2026-10-19
Supports: current land use, opened

Research confidence

Some facts on this page rely on a single source or are still being corroborated. Treat specific dates and figures with care. Last reviewed 2026-10-19.

See something wrong or missing? Suggest a correction or submit a source.

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