The final day for The Big A has arrived. Aqueduct Racetrack will shutter its doors on Sunday after hosting horse racing in Queens for more than 130 years.
Horse racing is consolidating in the state of New York. NYRA invested $455 million to upgrade its Triple Crown facility, Belmont Park. All previous meets that were held inside at New York City at Aqueduct will now move to the Long Island racetrack. The 100-acre site in Queens will be redeveloped, primarily for housing, as Belmont Park prepares to open its doors nine miles away on Sept. 18.
The state of Maryland is following a similar model to New York. They’re investing in a massive reconstruction project at Pimlico, temporarily moving racing to Laurel Park, then consolidating all races at Pimlico, while transforming Laurel into a training facility. The state of Maryland recently matched CDI’s bid to retain rights to the Preakness Stakes…