Hialeah Park Race Track (also known as Miami Jockey Club or Hialeah Race Track or Hialeah Park ) is an arena horse race at Hialeah, Florida. The site covers 40 square blocks from the middle east side of Hialeah from Palm Avenue east to East 4th Avenue, and from East 22nd Street on the south to East 32nd Street to the north. On March 5, 1979, it was added to the US National Register of Historic Places. Another list for it was added in 1988. The Hialeah Park Race Track is served by Miami Metrorail at Hialeah Station on Palm Avenue and East 21st Street.
Video Hialeah Park Race Track
History
The Hialeah Park Race Track is one of the oldest recreational facilities in southern Florida. Originally opened in 1922 by aviation pioneer Glenn Curtiss and his partner, Missouri rancher James H. Bright, as part of their development in Hialeah, Florida, Hialeah Park opened as a greyhound racecourse operated by the Miami Kennel Club. The Miami Jockey Club launched the Hialeah Thoroughbred horse racing track on January 25, 1925. The facility was badly damaged by a storm in 1926 and in 1930 was sold to Philadelphia rider Joseph E. Widener. With Kentucky horseman Colonel Edward R. Bradley as an investor, Widener hired architect Lester W. Geisler to design a complete new tribune and Renaissance Revival clubhouse facilities along with the original flora and fauna gardens and lake infield Widener stocked with flamingos. Hailed as one of the most beautiful racing tracks in the world, Hialeah Park officially opened on January 14, 1932. An Australian vote counters for receiving parimutuel bets was first installed in America. The park became so famous for its flamingo livestock that it has been formally designated as a sanctuary for the American Flamingo by the Audubon Society.
In 1987, the Let It Ride horse racing movie, with Richard Dreyfuss, Terri Garr, and Jennifer Tilly, owns most of the major movie shoots at Hialeah Park. Hialeah Park also appeared on Public Enemies but most scenes were shot in the Midwest. The Champ (1979) with Jon Voight, Faye Dunaway and Ricky Schroder filming the scene on Flamingo Day, 3/4/78.
Hialeah Park Racetrack was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 2, 1979. On January 12, 1988, the property was designated eligible for appointment as a National Historic Landmark by the Interior Secretary.
In 2001, Hialeah Park stopped organizing races after changes in state law prevented it from having an exclusive date in its competition with Gulfstream Park and the Calder Race Course. As a result, owner John Brunetti closed the Hialeah Park to the public. The filly Cheeky Miss won the last horse race race run at Hialeah on May 22, 2001. Among the races held were the right Flamingo Stakes, an important stepping stone to the Kentucky Derby for a 3 year old horse, and once again the prestigious priceless Handicap, a great race for a four-year-old and older horse who is an East Coast partner for Santa Anita Handicap in California. The important annual betting races that run each year through 2001 are:
- Flamingo Stakes
- Widener Handicap
- Bahamas Bets
- Black Helle Handicap
- Handicap Bougainvillea
- Stakes Everglades
- Hialeah Turf Cup Handicap
- Hibiscus Bets
- McLennan Handicap
- Royal Palm Handicap
- Handicap Seminole
In 2004, Florida Division Pari-Mutuel Wagering revoked Hialeah's purebred blood clearance for not holding the race for the previous two years. In 2013, the facility remains intact except for the stables, which were destroyed in early 2007. In 2006, the abandoned Hialeah Park site was considered a possible location for the new Florida Marlins Ballpark.
In March 2009, it was announced that the owner of the track John Brunetti was given a racing permit. The EwingCole design company was selected to develop a master plan for further renovation and development, including a new casino. The $ 40- $ 90 million restoration project began in mid-2009.
On May 7, 2009, the Florida legislature approved a deal with Florida Seminole Tribe that enabled Hialeah Park to operate slot machines and run the Quarter Horse race. The historic racetrack reopened on 28 November 2009 but only for the horse race quarters. The park installed slot machines in January 2010 as part of a deal to allow two seasons of racing calendars. The race runs until 2 February 2010. Only a portion of the park has been restored and an additional $ 30 million will be needed to complete the first phase of the project. The full transformation is expected to cost $ 1 billion since the plan includes complete rebuilding of the surrounding area including the construction of an entertainment complex to include hotels, restaurants, casinos, shops and theaters. In June 2010, concerns were raised regarding the preservation of the historical status of Hialeah Park because planned development threatened to hurt the status of Taman Hialeah as a National Historic Landmark.
On 14 August 2013, Brunetti opened a new casino at Hialeah Park and continues to host the Winter Quarter Horse (using a temporary cage).
Maps Hialeah Park Race Track
See also
- List of casinos in Florida
References
External links
- Official website
- List of Dade County in List of National Historic Sites
- Hialeah Park Race Track at the Office of Florida Culture and History Program
- Hialeah Park at National Park Service Cultural Resources
- Photo of hialeah racetrack facility
- Australian Totalizator Hileah Park (1932)
- US Historical Buildings Survey (HABS) No.Ã, FL-389, "Hialeah Park Racing Track, East Fourth Avenue, Hialeah, Miami-Dade Area, FL", 92 photos, 20 pages of data, 7 pages photo caption
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