Everything about Morris Park Racecourse totally explained
Morris Park Racecourse was an American
Thoroughbred horse racing facility opened in 1889 in an area of
The Bronx,
New York known at the time as Glendale. The facility was conceived and built by majority shareholder
John A. Morris as a result of the closure of the
Jerome Park Racetrack to make way for the
Jerome Park Reservoir. Accessible by horse and buggy, the
New Haven Railroad added a spur line from its main rail track that brought racing fans to the new Morris Park installation from across the greater
New York City area.
Principal owner John Morris had extensive business interests in
Louisiana and the prominent New York businessman and horseracing enthusiast
Leonard W. Jerome served as the racecourse's president. The
African-American Racing Hall of Fame jockey
Isaac Murphy rode here on opening day, August 20, 1889. Reporting on the event, the
New York Times newspaper described it as "the most beautiful racetrack in the world."
In 1890 Morris Park Racecourse hosted the
Preakness and
Belmont Stakes. While the Preakness Stakes was canceled for three years then restarted in 1894 at
Gravesend Race Track on
Coney Island, the Belmont Stakes was held at Morris Park until 1905. During this same period of 1890 through 1904, the
Champagne Stakes and the
Ladies Handicap were also raced here. The
Metropolitan Handicap was inaugurated here in 1891 as was the
Matron Stakes the following year.
A few days before he died in May of 1895, John Morris leased the racecourse, with an option to purchase, to the Westchester Racing Association. Although the 1½ mile racecourse was modified to a one mile circuit to allow for better spectator viewing, a lack of patronage by
high society members meant the clubhouse was usually empty. By 1902, the decline in attendance resulted in the decision to close Morris Park Racecourse.
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After its closure, the Morris Park Racecourse was used for
automobile racing but a few years later the Morris heirs sold the property to real estate developers. The new owners ran into financial problems which resulted in the track being taken over by the
City of New York in 1907. The city then leased it for two years to the Aeronautic Society of New York who hosted the first public
air show on the grounds. In June of 1909,
Glenn H. Curtiss put on a flying exhibition at Morris Park.
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On May 9, 1910 a fire ravaged much of the stables and nearby facilities. Three years later the property was auctioned off to developers who would subdivide the land into building lots. As late as 1921 the clubhouse was still intact when it was sold as part of a fourteen-lot package to a company who converted it for use as a factory to manufacture
ornamental iron.
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See also defunct New York race tracks:
Further Information
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