Lincoln Fields Race Track
| Horse Race Track/Show Facility | |
|---|---|
| Balmoral Park | |
 |
|
| Location | Crete Township, Will County, Illinois, near Crete, Illinois |
| Owned by | HITS, Inc. (Saugerties, NY) |
| Dates of original operation | August 9, 1926 - December 26, 2015 |
| Date reopened | May 10, 2017 |
| Race type | Standardbred |
| Website | www.hitsshows.com/balmoral-park |
| Principal Races | |
| American National | |
| Orange and Blue | |
| Filly Orange and Blue | |
| Pete Langley Memorial | |
Balmoral Park is an equestrian facility located just south of Crete, Illinois, United States. It operated from 1926 to 2015 as a horse racing track. It reopened in 2017 as a horse show facility under the same name.
Colonel Matt J. Winn, manager of Churchill Downs, came to Chicago in 1925 to look over the Illinois racing situation. Winn returned to Kentucky, where he talked to business associates at the Kentucky Jockey Club. They agreed to buy 1,050 acres (4.2 km2) just south of Crete to build the new track, which would be named "Lincoln Fields." The large oval was surrounded by Kentucky bluegrass which Winn imported from that state. Red Spanish tile was used as roofs on the buildings. Spring-fed lakes were built in the infield.
The inaugural meeting at Lincoln Fields began on August 9, 1926. The first trainer to stable on the grounds was thoroughbred horseman Daniel E. Stewart, the trainer for Senator Johnson Camden, president of the Kentucky Jockey Club. The first horse to work out was Camden's mare Rothermel. Miss Rosedale won the first race contested. The inaugural card featured the $5,000 Joliet Stakes for 2 year-old colts and geldings. The certificate system of wagering was used since pari-mutuel wagering was not made legal in Illinois until July 1, 1927.
On August 30, 1936, Lincoln Fields installed the DeBrie Camera at the finish line. This instrument recorded 240 pictures per second, and was the first such camera to be installed at an Illinois racetrack. The mighty Whirlaway won his first career race at Lincoln Fields on June 3, 1940, and later went on to win the coveted Triple Crown the following year.
Lincoln Fields was shut down in 1942 due to World War II restrictions. All scheduled race meetings were moved to Hawthorne Race Course in Cicero, Illinois from 1943 to 1947. From 1948 to 1951, the Lincoln Fields race meetings were run at Washington Park in nearby Homewood.
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