Latonia Race Track
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Latonia Race Track on Winston Avenue in
The track hosted a spring-summer racing series and a second in late fall. It was once regarded as among the United States' top sites for racing, and drew more than 100,000 visitors annually. The 1924 Kentucky Derby winner Black Gold ran at Latonia Race Track, and jockey Eddie Arcaro got his start there.
Latonia Derby
The track's main attraction was the annual 1½ mile
The inaugural 1883 Latonia Derby was won by
Early airmeet
In November 1909, an airmeet was held at Latonia. The airmeet was a small affair, but included famed aviator
Crash
In the days when a rope was used as the starting barrier and restarts were a common problem, in a 1917 race with a field of twelve starters, five horses crashed at the start of a race.[2] July 1, 1939, marked the first time Thoroughbred racing used an electric starting gate, the invention of Texan Clay Puett.[3]
1924 International Special
On October 11, 1924, 60,000 racing fans flocked to Latonia Race Track to witness the third and final edition of the
Thoroughbred stakes races at Latonia Race Track
- Clipsetta Stakes (1883–1937)
- Harold Stakes
- Latonia Autumn Inaugural Handicap
- Latonia Championship Stakes
- Latonia Cup Handicap
- Latonia Derby
- Latonia Independence Handicap
- Latonia Oaks
- Quickstep Handicap
Closure
Financial difficulties during the Great Depression forced Latonia Race Track to close its doors with its last race card held on July 29, 1939. The facility was sold to Standard Oil of Ohio and dismantled during World War II. Today the property is the site of the Latonia Shopping Center and WCVG-AM radio.
In 1959, a new operation called the Latonia Race Course opened in Florence, Kentucky about 10 miles west of the original Latonia site. In 1986 that facility changed its name to Turfway Park.
References
- ^ a b "Show For Aircraft". Los Angeles Times, 1909-11-08 p.II2
- ^ FIVE HORSES IN SPILL; Crowding Results In Accident at Latonia Race Track. November 4, 1917 New York Times
- ^ "Clay Puett Gate Makes Hit: New Starting Device, Closed Fore and Aft, Works to Perfection at Canadian". Daily Racing Form at University of Kentucky Archives. 1939-07-14. Retrieved 2018-11-12.
External links
- Historical Texts and Many Images of Latonia Race Track
- Government of Kentucky, Kentucky Historical Society, City of Covington
- New York Times article on Latonia Race Track
- Turfway Park official website with brief history of Latonia Race Track
- Kentucky Historical Society photo of the Latonia Racetrack grandstand
- Kentucky Historical Society photo of the "home stretch" at Latonia Racetrack
- Kentucky Historical Society photo of the Latonia Racetrack