Hazel Park Raceway

Last updated
Hazel Park Raceway
Through the stretch at Panoramic Hazel Park, the Friendly Track, Detroit's first modern race course (83307).jpg
Location Hazel Park, Michigan
Coordinates 42°28′25″N83°05′11″W / 42.47361°N 83.08639°W / 42.47361; -83.08639
Owned byHartman & Tyner
Date opened1949
Date closed2018 [1]
Capacity3,500
Race typeThoroughbred racing

Hazel Park Raceway, located in Hazel Park, Michigan, in the metropolitan Detroit area, was a horse race track. From 1949 it offered live thoroughbred racing every Friday and Saturday night May through mid-September, and also offered harness racing. Beginning in 1996, it offered simulcast wagering seven days a week all year long on thoroughbred and harness races from across the US and Canada. Admission and parking were free. For a period, this was the only track in Michigan to offer live thoroughbred racing.

Contents

The track opened in 1949 for Thoroughbred flat racing. In 1953 a harness racing season was added. After 1985, only Standardbred harness racing events were run here until 2014, when Thoroughbred racing was revived. [2] The track was sold and closed in April 2018, leaving Northville Downs as the only horse racing track in Michigan. It closed in 2019. In 2021 an Amazon distribution center opened on the site. [3]

Under the ownership of Bernard Hartman and Herbert Tyner, owners of Hartman and Tyner Inc., in 2009 Hazel Park generated roughly $550,000 in revenue for the City of Hazel Park. [4]

History

The 5/8-mile track was the first in the nation of this length. HPHRTrack.JPG
The 5/8-mile track was the first in the nation of this length.

In the late 1940s a group of auto racing enthusiasts purchased 140 acres of landfill property on the Southwest corner of 10 Mile Road and Dequindre Road to build an auto racing track in Hazel Park. Construction began on the 5/8-mile track, but it was halted because of financial troubles with the project.

A successful area businessman, Richard Connell, with a love for horse racing purchased the property from the defunct auto racing enterprise. Samuel "Dayton" Matkin, a race car driver, had suggested that the track could be converted to horse racing. (Matkin, one of the founders of the course, would serve at various times as Racing Official, Timer, and Barn Superintendent.)

In the early summer of 1949, with the race track already in place, the Hazel Park Raceway worked to convert the facility to a horse racing venue, and constructed stables and related facilities. Hazel Park Raceway opened its doors on August 17, 1949 with its first thoroughbred meet. The first harness meet was held in the spring of 1953. The track was maintained as a dual-breed facility (Thoroughbred and Standardbred) from 1949 through 1984.

From 1985 to May 2014, Hazel Park ran only live harness racing events. In 1996 the state legislature passed a law to authorize three casinos in Detroit. It also approved expanding betting opportunities at tracks, by authorizing betting for simulcast events.

Hazel Park Raceway began offering live simulcast wagering year-round, 7 days a week, on thoroughbred and harness races from across the US and Canada. Patrons could bet on races from North America’s major race tracks in the simulcast lounges located on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th floors of the clubhouse. Attendees could bet on the biggest races in North America, including the Triple Crown of flat racing: the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont; and the Breeder's Cup, and major harness races such as the Hambletonian and Little Brown Jug.

The main building hosted simulcast races, the dining room, and the Top of the Park Grill. HPHRBuild.JPG
The main building hosted simulcast races, the dining room, and the Top of the Park Grill.

In 2004 Hazel Park Raceway replaced its old grandstands with a new 40,000-square foot, multi-million-dollar structure that included modern grandstands, a press box, and a gaming facility. Plans for a gaming facility, which would have included slot machines, were put on hold indefinitely pending needed legislation. [5]

The grandstands were home to Action On The Apron, a party atmosphere with an outdoor bar and live band. Patrons can get close and personal views of the horses and racing. The clubhouse was renovated throughout the years. Patrons could view the track from the dining room located in the Clubhouse on the first turn. In addition to the dining room and many concession stands, the owners added the Top of The Park Grill located on the 4th floor of the Clubhouse.

During live racing (May–September), food was available from concession stands, the Top of The Park Grill, or the Clubhouse dining room. On simulcast days, food and beverages were available at the concession stand on the 3rd floor or the Top of The Park Grill.

In 2014 the racetrack reintroduced Thoroughbred flat racing, in an effort to attract younger patrons. To prepare, it invested "approximately $250,000 in a new racing surface;" the soft, sandy loam had a limestone base, considered "ideal for thoroughbred horses." [6] Thoroughbred racing was operated through the season of 2018. Together with the year-round simulcast schedule, the racetrack had profitable operations. But that year the track was sold and racing ended. [2]

Stable fire

In June 1987, a fire broke out at the Hazel Park Harness Raceway, killing 15 of the 26 horses in the stable. The average value of the horses was approximately $15,000 each. The fire started in a housing barn located about 500 yards from the grandstand, while races were still being held. The fire was contained after 30 minutes of burning; the origin of the fire is unknown. [7]

Sale and closure

After the racetrack was sold to Ashley Capital in 2018, late that year demolition began. The site of the racetrack now boasts an Amazon distribution center. [8]

Special events

Annual fireworks

In honor of Independence Day and Labor Day, fireworks were annually set off at the Hazel Park Raceway for public viewing. This was usually done after the last race of the evening.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harness racing</span> 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, spider, or chariot 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greenwood Raceway</span>

Greenwood Raceway was a horse racing facility in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meadowlands Racetrack</span> Horse racing track in New Jersey, US

The Meadowlands Racetrack is a horse racing track at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States. The track hosts both thoroughbred racing and harness racing. It is known popularly in the region as "The Big M". Meadowlands has year-round horse racing as well as a number of bars and restaurants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parx Casino and Racing</span> Horse racing venue and casino in Pennsylvania, US

Parx Casino and Racing is a Thoroughbred horse racing venue and the largest casino gaming complex in Pennsylvania. Parx is located in Bensalem Township in Bucks County, northeast of the city of Philadelphia. Owned and operated by Greenwood Gaming and Entertainment, Inc., Parx features 24-hour gaming with over 3,200 slot machines, 188 live table games, a poker room with 48 poker tables, live racing and simulcast action, sports betting, several dining options and bars, and the Xcite Center. Parx also offers online gambling and online sports betting along with off-track betting at two locations.

Garden State Park was a harness and thoroughbred race track in Cherry Hill, Camden County, New Jersey. It is now the site of a high-end, mixed-use "town center" development of stores, restaurants, apartments, townhouses, and condominiums. Garden State Park's 600 acre land area is roughly bounded by Route 70, Haddonfield Road, Chapel Avenue, and New Jersey Transit's Atlantic City Rail Line.

The Charlottetown Driving Park (CDP), located in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada is a harness racing track for racing standardbred horses.

Ellis Park is a thoroughbred racetrack near Henderson, Kentucky, along US 41 between the Twin Bridges and Evansville, Indiana. It is owned and operated by Churchill Downs Incorporated. While the track is located north of the Ohio River that forms the border between Kentucky and Indiana, which would put it within Indiana, the border is based on the course of the river at the time Kentucky became a state in 1792.

Hawthorne Race Course is a racetrack for horse racing in Stickney, Illinois, near Chicago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northlands Park</span>

Northlands Park was the "Alberta A circuit" horse racing track at Northlands in Edmonton, Alberta. The horse racing season generally consisted of a spring harness (Standardbred) meet from February/March, a Thoroughbred meet from May/June to September/October and a fall harness meet to mid-December. Northlands Park was the building name for the grandstand.

Saratoga Casino Hotel is an establishment in Saratoga Springs, New York. Saratoga Casino Hotel is home to a 1⁄2-mile standardbred race track, with a racino and hotel located inside the racetrack's grandstand. Saratoga Casino Hotel is not connected to the historic Saratoga Race Course thoroughbred race track located across the street on Nelson Avenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belterra Park Gaming & Entertainment Center</span> Racetrack and Casino in Cincinnati, Ohio

Belterra Park, formerly known as River Downs, is a racino located in Anderson Township, Hamilton County, Ohio, just outside the southeast limits of Cincinnati. It is owned by Gaming and Leisure Properties and operated by Boyd Gaming.

Batavia Downs is a harness racing track and casino in Batavia, New York. It is located in Genesee County between Buffalo and Rochester just off of the New York State Thruway. It opened on September 20, 1940, and is the oldest lighted harness racetrack in the United States. The track is exactly .5 miles (0.80 km) long.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rideau Carleton Raceway</span> Canadian horse racing and gambling complex

Rideau Carleton Raceway is a Canadian horse racing and gambling complex located at 4837 Albion Road in Ottawa, Ontario. The facility began operation in 1962 and specialises in Standardbred harness racing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thorncliffe Park Raceway</span>

Thorncliffe Park Raceway was a Toronto-area racetrack that operated from 1917 until 1952. It was located east of Millwood Road, south of Eglinton Avenue East and the CPR's railroad tracks. It was the first home of the Prince of Wales Stakes. The name is retained today by the Thorncliffe Park neighbourhood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Connaught Park Racetrack</span> Defunct horse racing track

Connaught Park, later known as Hippodrome d'Aylmer, was a thoroughbred, steeplechase and harness racing track, later having a casino and live betting parlor, that operated from 1913 until 2009. The track was located in the Aylmer, Quebec district of Gatineau, Quebec, Canada, near Ottawa, Ontario. It had two tracks: a one-mile dirt track used until 1954 for thoroughbred racing, and a half-mile dirt track, used for harness racing. Racing ended in 2008 after its owner declared bankruptcy. The site was sold in 2009 for a housing development.

The Detroit Race Course was a complex in Livonia, Michigan, a suburb northwest of Detroit and part of the metropolitan area. It consisted of a regulation racing track and associated stables for horses, and facilities for trainers, exercise workers, and jockeys. It was opened in 1950 primarily as a venue for racing thoroughbreds. The track owners also leased the complex to Wolverine Raceway for Standardbred harness racing events. The large complex had stables with a capacity for 1200 horses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosecroft Raceway</span> Harness racing track in Fort Washington, Maryland, US

Rosecroft Raceway, nicknamed the "Raceway by the Beltway" for being close to Interstate 495, is a harness racing track in Fort Washington, Maryland. It first opened in 1949 and was owned by William E. Miller, a horse trainer and breeder. Rosecroft quickly became Prince George's County's political and social center, drawing thousands of people there each racing day. In the early 1950s, average attendance was more than 7,000 per day. After Miller died in 1954, his son John owned Rosecroft until his death in 1969. Rosecroft hosted memorial stake races annually for both William and John until 1995. Following the death of John Miller, Earle Brown controlled operations until he moved to a different position in 1980; William E. Miller II took over following Brown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eureka Downs</span>

Eureka Downs was an American horse racing track located near U.S. Route 54 in Eureka, Greenwood County, Kansas. Run by the Greenwood County Fair Association, the facility hosted Standardbred harness racing, American Quarter Horse, and Thoroughbred flat racing events.

Horse racing in the United States dates back to 1665, which saw the establishment of the Newmarket course in Salisbury, New York, a section of what is now known as the Hempstead Plains of Long Island, New York. This first racing meet in North America was supervised by New York's colonial governor, Richard Nicolls. The area is now occupied by the present Nassau County, New York, region of Greater Westbury and East Garden City.

Louisville Downs was a half-mile Standardbred harness race track located in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It opened in 1966 and held over 3,400 days of harness racing until it was sold to Churchill Downs Inc. in 1991. Louisville Downs was built and managed by William H. King, a Louisville entrepreneur and promoter, who was the first to offer wagering by phone (“Call-a-Bet”) and full card simulcast wagering to television viewers. The track is now the site of Derby City Gaming, a historical racing parlor opened in 2018.

References

  1. ↑ Krupa, Gregg (April 5, 2018). "Hazel Park horse track closure 'devastating'". The Detroit News . Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  2. 1 2 Mesrey, Dave (5 April 2019). "Hazel Park Raceway closed its doors for the last time one year ago today". Detroit Metro Times. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  3. ↑ https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2021/08/04/hazel-park-opens-amazon-facility-same-day-delivery/5486477001/
  4. ↑ Louwers, Brian (June 3, 2009). "Stakeholders react to possibility of reduced racing days". Madison-Park News (MI).
  5. ↑ Adragna, Jeremy (October 4, 2007). "Support continues to grow for Hazel Park slot machines". Troy Times (MI).
  6. ↑ Mersey, Dave (27 June 2014). "Thoroughbred racing returns to Hazel Park tonight" . Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  7. ↑ "Hazel Park fire claims several horses". Ludington Daily News . June 11, 1987.
  8. ↑ "Ashley Capital buys Hazel Park Raceway". Crain's Business Detroit . April 27, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.