Playfair Race Course
| Location |
N. Haven St. and E. Sprague Ave. Spokane, Washington, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 47°40′N 117°22′W / 47.66°N 117.37°WCoordinates: 47°40′N 117°22′W / 47.66°N 117.37°W |
| Date opened | 1901 |
| Date closed | 2001 |
| Course type |
Flat oval, five furlongs 1,100 yd (1.0 km) |
| Notable races |
Playfair Mile Spokane Derby Inland Empire Marathon |
Playfair Race Course, (known as the Spokane Interstate Fair between 1901-1935) was the home of horse racing in Spokane, Washington, from 1901 to 2000.[1] The track started out as a four furlong oval, later expanded to five furlongs in 1946. The premier races run at the track were the Playfair Mile, Spokane Derby and Inland Empire Marathon.
Closed
The facility assets were auctioned in March 2004[2][3] and it was demolished shortly after.[4]
The 63-acre (0.25 km2) site was bought by the city of Spokane in 2004 for $6.3 million,[5] with the intent of partnering with Spokane County for a new sewage treatment facility.[6] The deal soured and 48 acres (0.19 km2) was sold in 2009 to SCAFCO, a steel-framing manufacturer.[7]
Ferris Field
Ferris Field,[8] a baseball stadium, was adjacent to the west of the track. A wooden ballpark, it was built in 1936[9] and was the home of the minor league Spokane Indians through the 1956 season. A fire destroyed the grandstand in October 1948[10][11] and the stadium was rebuilt with steel in 1949. It hosted high school football in 1948 and 1949, between the condemnation of Gonzaga Stadium and the opening of Joe Albi Stadium in 1950 (as "Spokane Memorial Stadium").
The new Triple-A Spokane Indians of the Pacific Coast League arrived in 1958 and moved about a mile east to the new Avista Stadium (originally "Fairgrounds Park") on Havana St.[12]
Playfair Mile Winners
| Year | Horse | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Sunshine Scholar | Larry Munoz | Kim Wright |
| 1999 | Not Run | NA | NA |
| 1998 | Not Run | NA | NA |
| 1997 | Che Meza | Frank Best | Fred Davis |
| 1996 | Not Run | NA | NA |
| 1995 | Ought to Burn | Vince Graffagnini | Kenneth Cheff |
| 1994 | Native Rustler | Vince Ward | Richard Wright |
| 1993 | Amber Jett | Brett Pierce | Chuck Findlay |
| 1992 | Lincoln Logger | Mark Hadley | Gordon Platt |
| 1991 | Crab Salad | Larry Lacoursiere | Ken Whitted |
| 1990 | Chan's Dragon | Jerry Pruitt[13] | Don Roberson |
| 1989 | Nakeen | Jose Corrales | Jack Steiner |
| 1988 | Native Act | Jerry Pruitt | |
| 1987 | Chan's Dragon | Jerry Pruitt | Don Roberson |
| 1986 | Uncle Barrydown | Jerry Pruitt | |
| 1985 | Holme Run Kid | Terry Motsenbacher | |
| 1984 | Marlene's Boy | Doug Moore | Bill Stewart |
| 1983 | Eagle Joe | Akifumi Kato | |
| 1982 | Grey Barbarian | Todd Stephens | |
| 1981 | Idaho Tribe | Ray Youngren | |
| 1980 | Kam Tam Kan | Terry Motsenbacher | |
| 1979 | Charmhersweet | Akifumi Kato | |
| 1978 | Chief Yakima | Jerry Pruitt[13] | |
| 1977 | Hyali Talk | Akifumi Kato | |
| 1976 | Cup Of Merc. | Mike James | |
| 1975 | Refusal | Wendell Matt | |
| 1974 | Mass Confusion | Wendell Matt | |
| 1973 | Ima Hitter | Akifumi Kato | |
| 1972 | Charity Line | Jerry Taketa | |
| 1971 | Fleet Ahead | J. Hathaway | |
| 1970 | Ruler's Whirl | R. Jensen | |
| 1969 1st Div. | Ruler's Whirl | F. Inda | |
| 1969 2nd Div. | Turbulator | D. Castle | |
| 1968 | Uncle Georger | Richard Wright | |
| 1967 | Uncle Georger | Richard Wright | |
| 1966 | Sixpenny Lane | Paul Frey | |
| 1965 | Late Bet | Fred Sheppard | |
| 1964 | Current Account | Joe Baze | |
| 1963 1st Div. | Smart Prince | Lenny Knowles | |
| 1963 2nd Div. | Tizza Doge | E. DeAlba | |
| 1962 | Cold Bay | J. Palmer | |
| 1961 | Aryess | Gilbert Simonis | |
| 1960 | Fleet Charge | Carl Schilling | |
| 1959 | |||
| 1958 | Collaborator | ||
| 1948 | Lighted Way | ||
References
- ↑ Price,Jim."Galloping Ghosts for Nearly 100 years". Spokesman Review, July 29, 2001.
- ↑ Graman, Kevin (March 5, 2004). "Auction leaves only memories". Spokesman-Review. p. C1.
- ↑ "Racing fans bid adieu to Playfair". Lewiston Morning Tribune. March 6, 2004. p. 2B.
- ↑ Thoroughbred Times - February 19, 2004
- ↑ Brunt, Jonathon (May 28, 2009). "City may sell Playfair property at loss". Spokesman-Review. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
- ↑ Brunt, Jonathon (September 1, 2007). "City weighing Playfair site options". Spokesman-Review. p. B1.
- ↑ Brunt, Jonathon (June 8, 2009). "SCAFCO gets go-ahead to buy Playfair land". Spokesman-Review. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
- ↑ May, Danny (June 13, 1939). "What the outfielders saw of Spokane's largest crowd at Ferris Field". Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Washington). (photo). p. 1.
- ↑ "So Spokane ball fans can sit in comfort while diamond stars perform". Spokane Daily Chronicle. June 30, 1936. p. 1.
- ↑ "Fire destroys Ferris Field's grandstand, parts of bleachers". Spokesman-Review. October 30, 1948. p. 1.
- ↑ "Investigators seek cause of $100,000 Ferris Field fire". Spokane Daily Chronicle. October 30, 1948. p. 1.
- ↑ Price, Jim (June 21, 2003). "five homes to call their own". Spokesman-Review. p. H12.
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