I got to say that Agua Caliente in Tijuana in the late 80's was the biggest dump i have ever set foot in. I once bet $5 across the board on a 20-1 shot and knocked down the odds to 2-5 on one click of the board. 
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Hazel park was the worst I've ever been too sir. That place brought new meaning to the word "dump".Comment -
Vallejo fairgrounds and Stockton fairgrounds in northern california are pretty bad
Cal Expo harness has the biggest crooks in all of california though
well...next to the indians who own the indian casinosComment -
they have a race track in manila, called santa anita, clever huh
the biggest shit hole on earthComment -
This was the typical clientel that would frequent Agua Caliente when i used to attend.
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Panhandler's are at every track I've been too sir, so I can relate. However, have you ever had one that begged you they would root you home a winner from the $.10 you got back from the cashier after you bought a beer?Comment -
Caliente in the 1960s and early 70s was probably the most beautiful track in North America. Built in the opulent 1920s, it was a rococo masterpiece. When I first saw it as a kid, only two or three times before the owner burned it down, it had these huge rooms with big easy chairs for the ordinary folks. Ceilings inlaid with Spanish-motif murals.
It had been built by American promoters, including the guy who built the upscale US Grant Hotel in the 1920s. It was also the most innovative track in the world: first to offer a Pick Six type bet (called the Five Ten), first to photograph the finish of a race, to call a race on a public address system, to water down th track etc
It was where the legendary giant of a racehorse, Phar Lap, ran his last race.
The last owner, an American crook named John Alessio (he and his brothers regularly stole the Five-Ten pools with fixed races), was under investigation in the early '70s by US IRS people.
To destroy the incriminating papers that were at the track, Alessio burned down the whole facility. Later, new Mexican owners built a sh1tty little concrete mausoleum in its place.
This dink of a track is still there, but the horses are gone. Only abused greyhounds race there now.Comment -
Saratoga is the best
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Freehold
Brigdeport
YonkersComment -
Fairmount ParkComment -
been to Hawthorne richie??? about 2 miles from me... near midway
harness racing?? balmoral and maywood those parks are bad...Comment -
Yes, been to Sportsmans Park also which was next door to hawthorne at one time.Originally posted by Chi_archieComment -
Caliente, Fairplex, Los Alamitos, Hollywood Park...all trashComment -
I went to hawthorn and maywood many years ago. Maywood was not prettyOriginally posted by Chi_archieComment -
haha we used to do that at quad cities for fun. Put $20 on a horse knocking it way down and then canceling the bet in the last minute so everyone else's odds plummet. hahaha great fun.Originally posted by poetwarrior41I got to say that Agua Caliente in Tijuana in the late 80's was the biggest dump i have ever set foot in. I once bet $5 across the board on a 20-1 shot and knocked down the odds to 2-5 on one click of the board.Comment -
Bush league tracks are fun.
After high school was over in the late 70's and 80's me and friends would go to tracks bordering Minnesota before they got racing at Canterbury Downs-Park.Assiniboia Downs in Winnipeg,Manitoba Canada was a neat bush league track.The Canadian beer and best strip joints in the world were a good reason to make an excuse to go up to Winnipeg.
The Nebraska circuit was really county fair like atmosphere.Fonner Park,Columbus,Aksarben,Lincoln and 2 really obscure tracks called Park Jefferson on the lower tip of South Dakota where DeWayne Lucas got his start and Atokad Park in South Sioux City a few miles away.They had a nifty greyhound track near Park Jefferson called SODRAC Park with alot of atmoshere.Of course to a sophisticated race goer these places would be considered dumps but they had atmosphere.
Great places to eat all you can eat Italian buffets called Valentino's and Happy Joe's where back then $3 got you a meal ticket.Some pretty good looking Nebraska gal jockeys and grooms that had nice asses.You could have made a calendar called Nebraska horsewomen asses in tight jeans and it would have sold a million copies.A jockey by the name of Shauna Barber comes to mind as being darn hot.She was getting 10% minus taxes and fees of 2500 k purses which turned into $100 in your wallet and she could have been a Playboy centerfold.Talk about devotion to a trade that you aren't in it for the money by riding cheap claimers at bush league tracks.hehe!
I remember buying generic black and white label glass bottle 6 packs of beer made by Falstaff Brewing in Omaha for $1 all the time.
It;s too bad that gambling just went bonkers where states and commissions couldn't have allowed Indians to go in partnership with tracks etc.Racing is an old man's sport and it can't attract people who collect entitlement checks who just want to mindlessly pull handles all day.Comment -
Atlantic City Racecourse was/is a dump. They quite fulltime racing about 10 years ago. They offer like 4 days of live racing per year in May/June just so they could keep their simulcast license.
Also, Pocono Downs before they got the slots.Comment
