Benning Race Track

Last updated
Benning Race Track Benning Race Track in Washington, D.C..jpg
Benning Race Track
Benning Race Track Aeroplane Racing Benning Race Track - Aeroplane Racing.png
Benning Race Track Aeroplane Racing

Benning Race Track was a horse racing and motorsport venue that opened in 1890 on the east side of Washington, D.C. With the close proximity to the capital, the races were attended by many politicians. A journalist once took a photo of Alice Roosevelt Longworth placing a bet, much to the chagrin of her father Theodore Roosevelt, who suppressed the sale of the photos to the newspapers. [1] Famous jockey Walter Miller won all five races during a Benning meet in 1906. The track operated until Congress banished horse racing in the District in 1908. The last race day was April 12 of that year and the grandstand burned in 1915. [2]

After horse racing ended, the track was used for automobile racing though the 1910s. It continued as a training stable and event venue until the 1940s. In 1938, inventor Jonathan Edward Caldwell demonstrated his prototype Autogyro at the abandoned track.

In 1942, a developer bought the track to build the Mayfair Mansions apartment complex. Mayfair Mansions opened in 1946, providing housing options for working and middle class African American families.

Related Research Articles

Thoroughbred racing Sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses

Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in the UK and steeplechasing in the US. Jump racing can be further divided into hurdling and steeplechasing.

Horse racing Equestrian sport

Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys over a set distance, for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic premise – to identify which of two or more horses is the fastest over a set course or distance – has been unchanged since at least classical antiquity.

Harness racing A form of horse racing that uses a two-wheeled cart

Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait. They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, or spider, occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Australia and New Zealand, races with jockeys riding directly on saddled trotters are also conducted.

Race track Facility built for racing of animals, vehicles, or athletes

A race track is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals. A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also used in the study of animal locomotion.

Keeneland

Keeneland Association, Inc. is an equine business based in Lexington, Kentucky. It includes two distinct divisions: the Keeneland Race Course, a Thoroughbred racing facility, and Keeneland Sales, a horse auction complex. It is also known for its reference library.

Nicholas Longworth American politician

Nicholas Longworth III was an American politician who became Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. He was a Republican.

Alice Roosevelt Longworth American writer and prominent socialite

Alice Lee Roosevelt Longworth was an American writer and prominent socialite. She was the eldest child of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt and the only child he had with his first wife, Alice Hathaway Lee. Longworth led an unconventional and controversial life. Her marriage to Representative Nicholas Longworth III, a Republican Party leader and 38th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, was shaky, and her only child, Paulina, was from her affair with Senator William Borah.

Saratoga Race Course Horse racing track in Saratoga Springs, New York

Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track located on Union Avenue in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. Opened in 1863, it is often considered to be the oldest major sporting venue of any kind in the country, but is actually the fourth oldest racetrack in the US. In 1857 the Empire Race Course was opened on an island in the Hudson River near Albany, but was in operation only a short time.

Alice Hathaway Lee Roosevelt American socialite and the first wife of Theodore Roosevelt

Alice Hathaway Roosevelt was an American socialite and the first wife of President Theodore Roosevelt. Two days after giving birth to their only child, she died from undiagnosed Bright's disease.

Arlington Park Horse race track in Arlington Heights, Illinois

Arlington International Racecourse was a horse race track in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, Illinois. Horse racing in the Chicago region had been a popular sport since the early days of the city in the 1830s, and at one time Chicago had more horse racing tracks (six) than any other major metropolitan area. Arlington International was the site of the first thoroughbred race with a million-dollar purse in 1981. It was located near the Illinois Route 53 expressway. It was serviced by the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad.

Fair Grounds Race Course

Fair Grounds Race Course, often known as New Orleans Fair Grounds, is a thoroughbred racetrack and racino in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is operated by Churchill Downs Louisiana Horseracing Company, LLC.

The American Derby is a Thoroughbred horse race in the United States run annually at Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, Illinois. The inaugural American Derby was held at Chicago's old Washington Park Race Track on the city's South Side and raced there until 1905, when the facility was closed following the state's ban on gambling and horse racing and the track was demolished. 1893's American Derby was the 2nd richest race in the U.S. during the 19th century.

Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway Motorsport track in the United States

Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway is a motorsport racetrack located at the Nashville Fairgrounds near downtown Nashville, Tennessee. The track is the second-oldest continually operating track in the United States. The track held NASCAR Grand National/Winston Cup races from 1958 to 1984.

Hialeah Park Race Track United States historic place

The Hialeah Park Race Track is a historic racetrack in Hialeah, Florida. Its site covers 40 square blocks of central-east side Hialeah from Palm Avenue east to East 4th Avenue, and from East 22nd Street on the south to East 32nd Street on the north. On March 5, 1979, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Another listing for it was added in 1988. The Hialeah Park Race Track is served by the Miami Metrorail at the Hialeah Station at Palm Avenue and East 21st Street.

Washington Park Race Track 19th and 20th-century historic racetrack in Chicago

Washington Park Race Track was a popular horse racing venue in the Chicago metropolitan area from 1884 until 1977. It had two locations during its existence. It was first situated in what is the current location of the Washington Park Subdivision of the Woodlawn community area of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. This is located immediately south of both the current Washington Park community area and Washington Park. The track was later relocated to Homewood, Illinois, which is also in Cook County.

Gravesend Race Track

Gravesend Race Track at Gravesend in Brooklyn, New York was a Thoroughbred horse racing facility that opened in 1886 and closed in 1910. The track was built by the Brooklyn Jockey Club with the backing of Philip and Michael Dwyer, two wealthy racing stable owners known as the Dwyer Brothers. Philip, the controlling shareholder of the Brooklyn Jockey Club, served as its president.

Flemington Speedway Racetrack

Flemington Speedway was a motor racing circuit in Flemington, New Jersey which operated from 1915 to 2002. The track was once known for being the fastest 5/8 dirt track in the United States.

Roosevelt Raceway Racetrack located in the town of Westbury in Long Island, NY (1940-1988)

Roosevelt Raceway was a race track located just outside the village of Westbury on Long Island, New York. Initially created as a venue for motor racing, it was converted to a ½-mile harness racing facility. The harness racing facility operated from September 2, 1940 until July 15, 1988. It was the original home of the Messenger Stakes, part of the Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Pacers. The raceway hosted the event until it closed. It was also the first track to use the now universal "mobile starting gate". The operation was sold in 1984 on the condition it was to remain an operating racetrack, but the facilities deteriorated, attendance dropped off, and the plant was no longer profitable.

Plant Field Athletic venue in Tampa, Florida

Plant Field was the first major athletic venue in Tampa, Florida. It was built in 1899 by Henry B. Plant on the grounds of his Tampa Bay Hotel to host various events and activities for guests, and it consisted of a large field ringed by an oval race track flanked by a large covered grandstand on the western straightaway with portable seating used to accommodate a wide variety of uses. Over the ensuing decades, Plant Field drew Tampa residents and visitors to see horse racing, car racing, baseball games, entertainers, and politicians. The stadium also hosted the first professional football and first spring training games in Tampa and was the long-time home of the Florida State Fair.

Mayfair Mansions Apartments United States historic place

Mayfair Mansions Apartments are historic structures in the Mayfair neighborhood of the Northeast quadrant of Washington, D.C. The garden apartments were built between 1942 and 1946 and were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.

References

  1. "Alice: Alice Roosevelt Longworth, from White House Princess to Washington", Stacy A. Cordery
  2. Benning Track Burned, Boston Evening Transcript, Nov 16, 1915