I knew there was once a track there and here is a website for it - http://www.phoenixtrottingpark.com/
Sonomacounty, yes, the one that sk_pacer pointed a link to. I am about a mile from it 
Yes, the grandstand is still there and a very pretty building. The rest is pretty much gone… even the driveway has been bulldozed and it is all fenced off.
It’s about 20 miles west of the airport (Sky Harbor) right off I10. But in the mid 60s would have been much further out in the “boonies” and less accessible.
Too bad it sounds like it would never re-open…
Thanks WMW. So very sad. One of things I like to take pictures of is old raceways. It feels like a way to hang onto them for longer, or something like that.
Perhaps you want to go for a few days or vacation, when you can, somewhere near an stb raceway? :yes:
Would have liked to have gotten closer for sure. But the web page I found that talks about it also has a ton of warnings that it is privately owned and would be trespassing and what the trespassing penalties are (must have had many problems over the years).
It is the SW “corner” of I10 and the 303 about 20 miles west of the airport. You can still see the outline of the 2 tracks and the grandstand from Google maps. The “line” running between the 2 tracks is now a canal (I suspect the canal wasn’t there 50 years ago either).
Maybe some day a trip to a place where the STBs are racing. In a wheelchair so travel is a bit of a PITA 
I’ll be content with watching them on TV, splashing through the slop and driving snow 
Amazing horses to watch for sure!
WMW there’s lots of tracks you can watch them going in the slop and snow right now. A lot of the Canadian tracks have live feeds you can watch on line, and there are a couple tracks in NYS going now. Monticello doesn’t have a live feed, but the replays are posted on their website quicker than the results on USTA. I’m not sure about Buffalo, though I’m going to have to figure that one out since one of our boys is racing there Wednesday night. It’s so different to watch races on a half mile track than a 5/8ths or larger track and interesting to see how differently a horse can race on the different size. He have one that raced as quickly on the half mile at Saratoga this fall as he did on the 7/8ths at Vernon which isn’t really the norm, usually they’re faster on the big tracks.
“It’s so different to watch races on a half mile track.”
Past few years I’ve been trying to learn about tb racing. Thing I’ve had the hardest time with is the larger tracks. You feel so far removed. I’m not that good with the binoculars either. My decent pair is so darn heavy to carry around, too.
[QUOTE=jvanrens;8425680]
Hopefully she likes the track and driver change, since heaven forbid you hit the wench. ;)[/QUOTE]
I woke up the cats laughing at that one. Sounds like something I’d say about my ASB mare who will march down the Amish Expressway, but will spit the bit if she sees anything remotely resembling a show ring.
[QUOTE=jvanrens;8489531]
WMW there’s lots of tracks you can watch them going in the slop and snow right now. A lot of the Canadian tracks have live feeds you can watch on line, and there are a couple tracks in NYS going now. Monticello doesn’t have a live feed, but the replays are posted on their website quicker than the results on USTA. I’m not sure about Buffalo, though I’m going to have to figure that one out since one of our boys is racing there Wednesday night. It’s so different to watch races on a half mile track than a 5/8ths or larger track and interesting to see how differently a horse can race on the different size. He have one that raced as quickly on the half mile at Saratoga this fall as he did on the 7/8ths at Vernon which isn’t really the norm, usually they’re faster on the big tracks.[/QUOTE]
Buffalo does have replays but I’m not sure how soon after a race is final it gets posted. There is also a tab for Video player so maybe you’ll get to watch live.
Hopefully by Wednesday the lake effect snow will calm down. I’ve seen a video or two from Buffalo where you only saw the horses as they passed the grandstand, the rest of the race they were totally obscured by the snow.
jvanrens, I do watch on TVG so getting a reasonable overview :)… Pompano Park, Cal-Expo, Woodbine Harness, Hawthorne.
When I was saying live more in person rather than just as it happens.
I am always amazed at the driver’s ability to get their horse to the gate just as the car pulls away - how much practice does that take? (and yes, I’ve see a few that were supposed to be on the gate and missed it ).
[QUOTE=STB Tissa;8489962]
Buffalo does have replays but I’m not sure how soon after a race is final it gets posted. There is also a tab for Video player so maybe you’ll get to watch live.
Hopefully by Wednesday the lake effect snow will calm down. I’ve seen a video or two from Buffalo where you only saw the horses as they passed the grandstand, the rest of the race they were totally obscured by the snow.[/QUOTE]
Just checked the Buffalo website, looks like they just have replays, usually there’s another tab called Live if they have live streaming. Sigh. At least it’s done by Roberts, who does a lot of the tracks and if Saratoga and Monticello are anything to go by, the replays are usually up within about 5 minutes if that long.
I imagine that watching the races there will be much like watching the races at Rideau Carleton here in Ottawa. We’ve had nights when you can barely see the horses go by at the start line when you’re standing by the paddock gate. LOL
Yep that sounds like Buffalo during a lake effect storm. Good luck tomorrow. Would you mind sharing what race you’re in?
My best friend and her mother race Pacers over here and 2 years ago we started getting in to re-training the slow/bored ones and showing them.
There is a World STB show in Ohio and a National one in NJ. We’ve shown in the NJ one the last few years as well as helping get more attention to the MD State Fair STB show.
The one that I rode is also still actively racing and actually sometimes did better racing after a show.
STB minds are so quiet and unflappable. We’d love to make them as popular as the TB for riding horses, but a lot of people still think they can’t canter…
[QUOTE=RxCate;8490412]
STB minds are so quiet and unflappable. We’d love to make them as popular as the TB for riding horses, but a lot of people still think they can’t canter…[/QUOTE]
I can attest to the fact they can canter by having to see the driver’s pull their horse up and out of the way when they break
Oh, and I forgot Meadowlands Harness… so TVG does broadcast a bunch. TBs during the day and then harness at night.
[QUOTE=STB Tissa;8490398]
Yep that sounds like Buffalo during a lake effect storm. Good luck tomorrow. Would you mind sharing what race you’re in?[/QUOTE]
Thanks! We’ll need it. The old man is better on a 7/8ths than a half, the ML odds on him are 4-1. That’s Ideal in the 11th. He’s been leased for the winter and we all miss him terribly.
[QUOTE=Where’sMyWhite;8490035]
jvanrens, I do watch on TVG so getting a reasonable overview :)… Pompano Park, Cal-Expo, Woodbine Harness, Hawthorne.
When I was saying live more in person rather than just as it happens.
I am always amazed at the driver’s ability to get their horse to the gate just as the car pulls away - how much practice does that take? (and yes, I’ve see a few that were supposed to be on the gate and missed it ).[/QUOTE]
Lucky you lots to watch! We’re friends with John MacDonald who is at Pompano with his stable for the winter. He used to drive in Canada and moved to the US to race when the provincial took the slots revenue away from purses for the horsemen.
The horses see to figure out the gate fairly quickly Most of the tracks have schooling races so you can get young ones behind the gate.
Yes, on TVG a ton of stuff (no, I don’t bet and I actually didn’t subscribe to I think it’s the sports package on DIRECTV for TVG but don’t mind having it).
How much is the driver and how much is the horse at getting to the gate at the right speed and time. I should have been clearer… how long does it take the driver to get the hang of being there at the right place/time/speed? It also seems like some are okay starting from almost a standstill as the gate starts rolling while others seem to “hold back” and really get a running start as the gate pulls away. Is that a horse preference or a driver’s style?
[QUOTE=Where’sMyWhite;8491188]
Yes, on TVG a ton of stuff (no, I don’t bet and I actually didn’t subscribe to I think it’s the sports package on DIRECTV for TVG but don’t mind having it).
How much is the driver and how much is the horse at getting to the gate at the right speed and time. I should have been clearer… how long does it take the driver to get the hang of being there at the right place/time/speed? It also seems like some are okay starting from almost a standstill as the gate starts rolling while others seem to “hold back” and really get a running start as the gate pulls away. Is that a horse preference or a driver’s style?[/QUOTE]
Ah! I would say as far as the driver getting the hang of it, you’d have to ask a driver which I definitely am not. 
I imagine they drive all the schoolers and qualifiers they can to get the practice unless they are at a bigger farm where they might have a practice gate. My daughter has raced a few times and she seemed to get the hang of it pretty quickly, especially since the last time she raced she was maybe 17 and she put her horse on the gate quite well.
As for when/how the driver puts the horse on the gate, it’s best to go with how the horse will start best. If it’s not a horse that they’ve driven often the trainer will let the driver know how the horse is best. I’ve seen some horses get wound up in post parade and the driver will put them on the gate almost before it gets moving so they don’t have to fight them or they keep them way back and catch up to it as it speeds up. Some horses also do better when their nose is right up against it as it leaves others gapped off a little. This is why we like to use a regular driver as they know the horses and we don’t have to hope the driver actually listens to what they’re told.
RXKate - I’m waiting for the guy I’m getting to retire then I will be joining you and Charlene at the shows. If he retires soon enough I want to do the National Show in NJ and the MD State Fair one. Are you the one that braids for her? If so you do an awesome job!
I’m also thinking those drivers have abs of steel the way they lay back in the bike as they are driving to the finish
[QUOTE=cripplecreekfrm;8493614]
RXKate - I’m waiting for the guy I’m getting to retire then I will be joining you and Charlene at the shows. If he retires soon enough I want to do the National Show in NJ and the MD State Fair one. Are you the one that braids for her? If so you do an awesome job![/QUOTE]
Yes! That’s me! Who are you Cripple Creek? haha
