Thoroughbred Racing Fan Association, Inc.
Thoroughbred Racing Fan Association, Inc.
WHICH TWO RACETRACKS HAVE THE LONGEST COURSES IN NORTH AMERICA?
10/11/2019
In years gone by, Thoroughbred horses were bred for stamina. Today’s racing favors speed at short distances evidenced by the number of six-furlong dirt races and 5.5-furlong turf races run. This shift to speed favoring breeding has come with mixed reviews. Some argue that this form of breeding has rendered the modern Thoroughbred race horse more fragile. That is a story for another day.
Nonetheless, in 1905 August Belmont with investors opened Belmont Park. It offered a 1.5-mile dirt course, the longest stretches in United States Racing. It known by the nickname, “the Big Sandy” because of the deep composition of the track which offers a tiring feature for races run there. This was especially noticeable when Birdstone ran done the leg weary Smarty Jones in the 2004 Belmont Stakes. Much younger and miles north of Belmont Park, E.P. Taylor opened Woodbine Racecourse in Toronto, Ontario (Canada) in 1956. Taylor envisioned Woodbine to be the premier track in Canada. With a concern for stamina, Taylor constructed 1.5-mile turf course. As a result, these two tracks are the only two racetracks with a full mile and half track, albeit one turf and the other dirt.