Oriental Park Racetrack
| Oriental Park Racetrack | |
|---|---|
 | |
 |
Oriental Park Racetrack in
thoroughbred horse-racing facility operated during the winter by the Havana-American Jockey Club of Cuba. Founded in 1915, Oriental Park was the only race track in Cuba before Fidel Castro
came to power in 1959. It was closed February 5th, 1967.
History
In its heyday, American owners brought their horses to race at Oriental Park Racetrack during the winter, and future Hall of Fame jockey
.Oriental Park is also famous for hosting the April 5, 1915 boxing match between Jack Johnson and Jess Willard.[1]
Many American celebrities on vacation or who were performing at the nearby
Seville-Biltmore Hotel in Havana as part of its hotel properties, served as president of the Havana-American Jockey Club, as did Harry D. ("Curly") Brown, owner of Arlington Park in Chicago
.
In his book Little Man: Meyer Lansky and the Gangster Life, author Robert Lacey wrote that in 1937, gangster Meyer Lansky gained control of the racetrack and casino.
At
Calder Race Course in Miami Gardens, Florida
, is a wall in its Hall of Fame dedicated to the famous Cuban horsemen who raced at Oriental Park.
Oriental Park also hosted automobile races in 1920.[2]
Thoroughbred races
See also
References
- photos and data about the Oriental Park during the 50s. Mostly in Spanish
- March 4, 1929 TIME magazine article on John McEntee Bowman
- ISBN 978-0-517-10536-8
- ^ "Knockout -- Willard-Johnson fight, Havana". Library of Congress. 5 April 1915. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
- ^ Automobile races.
- Syracuse Herald, 19 September 1920, pg 42