Hazel Park Racetrack
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| Location | Hazel Park, Michigan |
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| Coordinates | 42°28′25″N 83°05′11″W / 42.47361°N 83.08639°WCoordinates: 42°28′25″N 83°05′11″W / 42.47361°N 83.08639°W |
| Owned by | Hartman & Tyner |
| Date opened | 1949 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred racing |
| Official website | |
Hazel Park Raceway, located in Hazel Park, Michigan, is a horse race track offering live thoroughbred racing every Friday and Saturday night May through mid September and simulcast wagering 7 days a week all year long on thoroughbred and harness races from across the US and Canada. Admission and parking are free. During live racing, guests can get up close and personal with the horses trackside in front of the grandstands in a fun, festive atmosphere or from the comfort of the clubhouse dining room located on the first turn. Live racing starts at 7:30pm and the doors open for simulcasting at 11:30am daily.
During live racing (May–September) food is available either from the many concession stands located throughout the facility, the Top of The Park Grill located on the 4th floor of the Clubhouse, or in the Clubhouse dining room. On simulcast days food and beverages are available at the concession stand on the 3rd floor or the Top of The Park Grill located on the 4th floor of the Clubhouse.
Currently owned by Bernard Hartman and Herbert Tyner, owners of Hartman and Tyner Inc., it generates roughly $550,000 in revenue for the City of Hazel Park and is one of Michigan's largest and most profitable raceways, in addition to being the only raceway in Michigan to offer live thoroughbred racing.
In the latter 1940s a group of auto racing enthusiasts purchased 140 acres of landfill property on the Southwest corner of 10 Mile Road and Dequindre Road to build an auto racing track. Construction began on the 5/8th mile track but soon came to a grinding halt because of financial troubles with the project.
Bad news for auto racing turned out to be good news for horse racing, since a successful area businessman with a love for horse racing purchased the property from the then-defunct auto racing enterprise. In the early summer of 1949 with the race track itself already in place, Hazel Park Raceway went to work on converting the facility to a horse racing venue. Hazel Park Raceway opened its doors on August 17, 1949 with its first thoroughbred meet and the first harness meet was held in the spring of 1953. The track was maintained as a dual-breed facility from 1949 through 1984. From 1985 to May 2014, Hazel Park was exclusive to live harness racing. Hazel Park was the first 5/8th mile horseracing track in the United States and holds the moniker of "The Pioneer Track".
With new state legislation in 1996 Hazel Park Raceway began offering live simulcast wagering year-round 7 days a week on thoroughbred and harness races from across the US and Canada. Patrons can now wager on races from North America’s major race tracks in the simulcast lounges located on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th floors of the clubhouse. This allows people to wager on the biggest races in North America no matter where they are, including the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, Belmont, Hambletonian, Little Brown Jug, and Breeder’s Cup.
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Wikipedia