After 132 Years, Racing at Aqueduct Comes to an End

If you closed your eyes, it could have been 1970. Only on a smaller scale. On a memorable Sunday afternoon, large areas of Aqueduct Racetrack were filled to their capacity. Fans cheered wildly when the horses walked onto the track and they were even louder when one of them ran across the finish line. Long lines to get in. Long lines for food and drink. A festive and electric atmosphere for track veterans and newbies. On June 28 at the historic Big A, it was as if everyone on the grounds where racing has been conducted for 132 years was stuffed in a time machine and transported back decades. For the last time. A home to Thoroughbred racing since 1894, Aqueduct enjoyed a fitting and emotional farewell as horses traveled around the renowned oval for the last time and the final nine races in the Big A's storied history were contested. It was a day filled with many reminders of the people, races, and horses that made Aqueduct great for so long and ended with the euphoria of Kendrick Carmouche leading several jockeys into the grandstand to celebrate with the fans. Reflective of the days emotions was Darryl Abramowitz of DEA Thoroughbreds, whose 6-year-old Not This Time gelding Assume Nothing won the very last race at the Big A, a $100,000 starter allowance race. "This is amazing. I've been in this game since I was a kid in 1992," Abramowitz said, his voice cracking with emotion. "It's a dream come true to win this race. I've been here with my father, my mother, my grandfather. They are all deceased and they are not with us anymore, but they are probably watching and feeling as choked up as me." Attendance was listed as 6,866, a far cry from the track's glory days. In 1963-68, when Aqueduct was New York's lone downstate track while Belmont Park was being rebuilt and horses like Kelso, Buckpasser, and Dr. Fager raced there, the track averaged 6 million patrons a year. But that was when Aqueduct had a grandstand, which is now a casino. And on this final day, the facility is only about a fourth of what it used to be. Still, the thrills were as large as they were 60 years ago, especially for a young trainer like Amelia Green, who won the final stakes at the track, the John Hettinger on turf for New York State-breds, with the Mo Town mare Highway Harmony. A winner by 2 1/2 lengths for the ownership group of Lucky Hat Racing, Fugget About It Racing Stables, and Sportsmen Stable, Highway Harmony covered 6 furlongs in a track record 1:06.44 that will never be broken. "It's definitely surreal. A couple of years ago, I didn't know I would be training, so to be training and win the last stakes race at Aqueduct like that, it is pretty cool," Green said. Trainer Chad Summers won the opening race of the day with Ilium Stables' Tiznow Mama and felt the cresting emotion of saying goodbye that had been growing for the last week. "It's emotional. This was my track. This is where I grew up," Summers said. "I learned about horse racing here at Barn 6. I walked through it yesterday and it was pretty emotional. To get a win on closing day with (jockey Kendrick Carmouche) and the crowd going crazy, it's great." Looking at the crowd that filled the apron, he hoped the energy from Sunday would continue, especially when Belmont Park reopens Sept. 18 and becomes the New York Racing Association's lone downstate track. "When I first came here in 2004, this place was still happening. It's been a shame to watch the disintegration. I hate that it takes closing weekend to get people back out here," said the trainer of Preakness Stakes (G1) winner Napoleon Solo. "Hopefully we can keep this momentum going as we move to Saratoga and the new building at Belmont. Hopefully, people have a great time today, had a great time yesterday, and they remember what it's like to come to a live horse race, not just watch on TV." There were a variety of emotions for fans. Some, like Tom Torello and his wife, Ellen, from upstate Schenectady, felt sorrow to say goodbye. "It's tough to have an institution that's been around as long as Aqueduct and think it will not be here tomorrow," said Torello, who first came to the Big A in the 1980s. "We will not be here for the Wood Memorial (G2) next year. It's hard to imagine. When we lose a track like this, we lose a part of the sport." For others, like Will Lochrie, it was a fabulous introduction-and goodbye-to Aqueduct. Lochrie, who came to the United States from England for the World Cup soccer games, has attended meets like Royal Ascot back home and wanted to be a part of the final festivities in Ozone Park, N.Y. "I like it here," he said. "It's different than in the UK. It's a lot bigger scale in terms of the size of the place but I like it. The weather has been good and so has the racing. It's all good." For NYRA CEO and president Dave O'Rourke, the finale brought both sadness and the excitement of unveiling the ultra-modern Belmont Park in three months. "It was a good way to send her off," O'Rourke said. "People seem to be having a good time and it looks like a younger crowd. It's cool to see all these people. I've worked here for 18 years and spent more time in this place than anywhere else. It's time to move on, but it's also sad."