Phoenix Trotting Track, off Interstate 10 and 135th Avenue, Goodyear Arizona. The legal name of the business I found to be "Arizona Harness Raceway" later changed in 1964 to "Arizona-New York Harness Racing"
Jimmy Dunnigan, an established and well-known harness-racing track developer from New York State (he was inducted into the USHWA hall of fame in 1974) opened the park on Jan. 11, 1965. This track didn't do so well, due to unpredictable monsoon flooding of the track and poor attendance and was closed less than 2 years later near the end of 1966. Going through recorded documents, the bank issued a foreclosure notice on 10/21/1966.
Aside from an unmemorable film ( and the corresponding deaths of over 100 birds that had taken up residence in the abandonded grandstand ), the track has been undeveloped and unused.
Below I have posted a link to an article dated March 8, 1965, which was shortly after the park opened. (Sports Illustrated's Archives)
http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1076975/1/index.htm
It looks like they might be going to tear it down. I love to watch harness racing, too bad it didn't go over. Perhaps too tame for the wild west.
ReplyDeletecan you get any closer? I would love to take some pictures of it....
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