RIP Fort Erie

[Calzone Lord]

The famous old Canadian track about an hour and a half from here is set to close after its 115th season is finished up later this year.

http://www.drf.com/news/fort-erie-cl...ently-end-year


Several Hall of Fame horses have run at Fort Erie over the years. Northern Dancer won his career debut there under bug rider Ron Turcotte.

Here was the result chart for the 1st race ever run at FE -- June 16th 1897




Here is the result chart from the 4th race that day ...





Note that the winning horse carried only 85lbs !!! That's a light jockey!

[justindew]

Split variant that day, from what I read. The sun came out after the 2nd race and really changed the complexion of the racing surface.

[Calzone Lord]

Originally Posted by justindew

Split variant that day, from what I read. The sun came out after the 2nd race and really changed the complexion of the racing surface.

Figure making on the Beyer scale would have been something of a bitch pre 1940 because of all the insane weight shifts.

In one race -- a winning horse might carry 85lbs to victory -- in another race they might carry 128lbs.

The filly race went a full second faster than the opens in the above race, but note the difference in pace, weight carried, and the huge margins between the beaten horses in the filly race.

[Frost King]

Beautiful old track until they put the slots in. The first time I went was about 30 years ago. The thing that stuck out to me was the old tote board that was inside. The old fashion chalkboard with chalk. I absolutely fell in love with the board.

[Calzone Lord]

I watched Dance Smartly win the second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown at Fort Erie when I was about 10 year old. She swept the Canadian Triple Crown over the males and won the Breeders Cup Distaff at Churchill Downs to complete a perfect 8-for-8 season.

Dance Smartly was 3-for-5 at age 2. One defeat coming at Fort Erie in the Ontario Debutante -- the other was a 3rd place finish to Meadow Star in the Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies.

The racing scene from the movie The Black Stallion was shot at Fort Erie:




This is Fort Erie from 1929:

[OldDog]

Sad news. I've never been, but every time an old track shuts down it feels like another link to racing's past is gone.

Why did Ontario Lottery & Gaming pull the slots? Weren't they making money (how could they not be)?

[zippyneedsawin]

I live about 45 mins from the track and have never been there. I guess I better get there this summer.

[Danzig]

the black stallion was a fantastic movie. not too often do i enjoy the movie made based on a book-the book is almost always better.
another interesting tidbit from the movie: napolean was the same horse from early in animal house, who is 'shot' in the dean's office!


too bad about fort erie closing tho.

[Round Pen]

I have a couple of Friends there and They are a Little concerned that there not even going to make it through the whole meet before closing the doors

[ironprospect]

This is going to be long and as time goes on it will get sloppier and sloppier as I am recalling a lot of stuff from say 1965 when I was 5 years old to today (the sloppier part is the vodka)

Let me start off by saying I am hoping that this is a "stunt", to draw attention in Ontario to the largest employer, in the busiest US/Canadian border crossing area.

Second Ft Erie is a recreational town and area. The track, the Canadian ballet, the beaches, the chinese food, that has been feeding people from the states since the 40's when most of the US had no idea about chinese food.

Regular Americans with cottages at the beach, and an almost Long Islandish beach mansion area from when Buffalo was a "power city", ending in the early 70's.

To the racing....I was the oldest of three, born in 1960, a sister in '61 and another male in 1963. My family (extended) always had cottages rented at Crystal Beach, which was a world class resort until Disney did his thing.

To you folks who have children, I would guess that you would be familiar with the all day pout. I do not have children so I do not have to endure this, but I sure did it. On the days once or twice a year the old man would go to the track w/ the buddies from work, I was a hellion. HE WAS AT THE TRACK AND I WAS STUCK HERE AT HOME. I cried and misbehaved all day.

That was when the OJC ran the place, not the same people as today. By that I mean not the same Woodbine who run racing now. When the OJC was made up of an exclusive club of the elite in Canadian racing.

They ran a three track circuit, open with Greenwood, onto Ft Erie spring meet, and then they would go to Woodbine, spend August @ Ft. Erie back to Woodbine and finish out the fall early winter at Greenwood.

Greenwood land value later made for a sale as it was part of the Greater Toronto Area. Disappointed I never made it there, although my friends were after seeing Phathom and a was leaning against a wall FT. Erie when they start simulcast

[ironprospect]

While my younger brother and sister when through the grandstand and me occasionally looking for discarded tickets.


Those were family days, not days with Dad, as far as I knew he was a $2 bettor, working on the railroad, erie lackawanna, which was a profitable company but forced into the ny central/penn merger which ended up with conrail/amtrak. Don't know the time frame here, I was a kid. Dad, was part of the union, for a bit maybe treasurer of the local. This was during nixon

[MISTERGEE]

SAD, my memory is the beautiful infield

[Mike9J]

It will be a sad day for me when it closes...in 1973 and 1974 i don't think i missed more than 3 or 4 days of racing...there was a couple old guys waiting at the peace bridge every day waving there racing forms and hoping for a ride, i always picked them up and they would give me the quarter for the toll.
Sandy Hawley was the top jock, and Jeffry Fell was the top apprentice in those days..
I don't get there as much as i used to, but go when i can, and will miss it for all time...

[richard burch]

i saw a movie that was filmed there.

[Mike9J]

Riding the comet...and the wild mouse...highlight of the summer for us was Tonawanda Days at Crystal Beach....oh yeah, the giant suckers which you can still get online