To paraphrase an old legal adage, if you have the facts, pound the facts; if you have the truth, pound the truth; if you have neither, pound the table and yell like hell. We (see this website) have the facts, the truth; they – the racing industry and its slow-witted apologists – are yelling, or distracting, like hell. As the desperation mounts, they search for something, anything, to hold on to; lately, it’s all about “jobs,” or more specifically, what will become of all their hard-working folk should we, the evil activists, get our wish and horseracing is defunded (has its subsidies stripped away). Well.
Here are some of the racetracks that have closed since the turn of the century, and the redevelopment that followed. New jobs. New business. New tax revenue. New, in-demand replacing old, no-longer-viable – the American economic system as it was designed to function. And moral progress, to boot.
Cal Expo Racetrack, California, closed 2025
tentative plans to become the new site of Sacramento State football
Freehold Raceway, New Jersey, closed 2024
preliminary plans for mixed-use redevelopment: retail, dining, hotel, social club
Golden Gate Fields, California, closed 2024
nothing definite yet, but possibilities for this prized real estate include housing, commercial, even a hospital
Northville Downs, Michigan, closed 2024
massive redevelopment underway: 174 apartments, 53 condos, 245 homes and townhomes, over 18,000 square feet of commercial space, etc.
Pompano Park, Florida, closed 2022
massive redevelopment underway: hotels, shops, restaurants, apartments, and a 1.49 MSF industrial park
Arlington Park, Illinois, closed 2021
purchased by the Chicago Bears with an eye toward building a new NFL stadium on the site
Calder Race Course, Florida, closed 2020
now the site of Calder Casino, as well as a large industrial park
Scarborough Downs, Maine, closed 2020
has been transformed into a diverse walkable community: businesses, boutiques, restaurants, housing, walking trails, recreational greenspace
Bluegrass Downs, Kentucky, closed 2019
being reimagined as Paducah Sports Park, a new multi-sport recreational complex expected to generate a local economic impact of $130M per year
Portland Meadows, Oregon, closed 2019
now the site of a new Amazon distribution center – jobs, jobs, jobs
Suffolk Downs, Massachusetts, closed 2019
this ongoing redevelopment – housing, hotels, retail, office – is “one of the largest real estate projects in Boston’s history”
Hazel Park, Michigan, closed 2018
has been redeveloped into a state-of-the-art industrial park with massive jobs-producing tenants – Amazon, GM, LG Electronics, et al.
Hialeah Park, Florida, closed 2016
already the site of a casino, the former track will also eventually include hundreds of new apartments and a charter school
Les Bois Park, Idaho, closed 2016
undergoing a redevelopment that will eventually house a large family-friendly park and a professional soccer stadium
Atlantic City Race Course, New Jersey, closed 2015
being transformed into a three-million-square-foot Amazon fulfillment center with a projected 750 well-paying jobs
Maywood Park, Illinois, closed 2015
has been transformed into an Amazon fulfillment center, with retail space as well
Beulah Park, Ohio, closed 2014
has been transformed into a massive (and badly needed) residential development, with some 1,000 varied homes; commercial development underway
Hollywood Park, California, closed 2013
exhibit A for the redevelopment of shuttered tracks: NFL stadium, full-service casino, 6,000-seat theater, movie studio, office, retail, residential, and more
Manor Downs, Texas, closed 2010
ongoing transformation into a one-million-square-foot industrial park
Pinnacle Race Course, Michigan, closed 2010
underwent massive commercial redevelopment anchored by two giant Amazon warehouses
Rockingham Park, New Hampshire, closed 2009
underwent massive mixed-use redevelopment – with a projected 6,000 new jobs
Bay Meadows, California, closed 2008
underwent a massive mixed-use redevelopment – office, retail, housing, public parks
Woodlands Racecourse, Kansas, closed 2007
now the site of an Amazon fulfillment center with an estimated 500 jobs
Sportsman’s Park, Illinois, closed 2002
now the site of a Walmart Supercenter and a Wirtz Beverage distribution center – jobs, jobs
Brockton Fair, Massachusetts, closed 2001
ongoing plans for mixed-use redevelopment – residential, commercial, light industrial
Garden State Park Racetrack, New Jersey, closed 2001
underwent a massive mixed-use redevelopment – homes, retail, restaurants
Playfair Race Course, Washington, closed 2001
has been rechristened “Playfair Commerce Park” – a brand-new industrial park in the heart of Spokane