Fort Erie Race Track

Fort Erie Race Track is a horse racing facility in Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada built by the Fort Erie Jockey Club and inaugurated on June 16, 1897.

Fort Erie Race Track was at one time owned by the Cella family, who owned Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. They sold it in 1952 to renowned Canadian horseman E. P. Taylor.^[1] The owner of Windfields Farm, Taylor played a key role in the development of the track. He was responsible for the creation of the Canadian Triple Crown with the second leg of the series, the Prince of Wales Stakes, being the track's most important annual event.

In June 2012 it was announced that the Fort Erie Race Track would close at the end of the year following the decision of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation that slot machines would be removed from the track.^[2]

The track had inked a one-year transition funding deal with the province in early 2013, which allowed it to open and run the 2013 season.^[3]

In November 2013 plans were unveiled by the Fort Erie Live Racing Consortium for the track to host a festival meet around the theme of the Chinese Year of the Horse, with the Prince of Wales Stakes running sometime in July. The plan also called for horse training to begin in late April, followed by a point-based racing tournament running through early August. Racing would continue on until early October, with a total of 400 races across the season. The Year of The Horse racing festival proposal now awaits government approval.^[4][5]

A consortium led by American businessmen Carl Paladino, Joel Castle and Joe Mosey purchased the race track in August 2014.^[6]

References

Coordinates: 42°55′7″N 78°56′7″W / 42.91861°N 78.93528°W / 42.91861; -78.93528