Gentlemen Start Your Horses!
Dover Downs started out with the concept of a multi sports facility.
Horse racing would be conducted on the inner dirt oval and auto racing
on the one mile outer oval. Way back in March of 1969 thoroughbreds
paraded for the first race on the track before 8,641 fans who watched
Pinehurst, Fred Kratz up win that contest and it was downhill from there
for thoroughbreds.
In November of the same year Standardbreds
made their first appearance. The pacers and trotters still run the flat
runners disappeared at the end of 1974. By the 1990's the sulky's were
ready to go under when the State of Delaware approved slot machines.
From there all uphill but if you look at the history of Dover Downs it's
all about the Casino and Nascar, horse racing is just a side venue.
In 2011 Dover Downs ran it's usual meet from October to April when racing moves down the road to Harrington. Corey Callahan won the leading driver title.
I hadn't been to Dover Downs since the inaugural thoroughbred meet in the spring of 1969. I had passed by a few times since and in no way did it look like a horse race track anymore. I was curious if I could get some kind of photo that would look like horse racing went on here. After about twenty minutes I found the grandstand, no sign of where you could get a program , or even where you could place a bet. I walked out wondering why they even have horse racing there, also whether most of the people who work there know it either.
As much as Delaware Park shows that racinos racetracks can maintain some charm, Dover Downs takes it to a completely opposite level. Your right I hate Dover Downs! If you look at the photo page you can see what Dover Downs looked like in 1969, quite different from today.