The Detroit Race Course was a complex in

Livonia, Michigan Livonia is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 95,535 at the 2020 census, which ranked it as Michigan's ninth most-populated municipality. Livonia is a part of Metro Detroit and is located about west of th ...

, a suburb northwest of

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

and part of the metropolitan area. It consisted of a regulation racing track and associated stables for horses, and facilities for trainers, exercise workers, and jockeys. It was opened in 1950 primarily as a venue for racing

thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...

s. The track owners also leased the complex to Wolverine Raceway for

Standardbred The Standardbred is an American horse breed best known for its ability in harness racing, where members of the breed compete at either a trot or pace. Developed in North America, the Standardbred is recognized worldwide, and the breed can trac ...

harness racing Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait (a trot or a pace). They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, or spider, or chariot occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Austral ...

events. The large complex had stables with a capacity for 1200 horses. Until the late 1980s, the Detroit Race Course (DRC) and others, with its racetrack betting, were the only sites in Michigan for legalized gambling. In this period, efforts to introduce other types of gambling at the DRC were unsuccessful. Interest in horse racing declined in the late 20th century. In 1985 the business was sold to Ladbroke, a UK-based hotel and gambling company. It discontinued harness racing that year. The DRC and gaming environment was adversely affected by the opening in 1994 of Casino Windsor across the river in

Ontario, Canada Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

. The casino was owned by the province and was a rousing success, attracting millions of visitors annually, many from the Midwest. The complex is owned by

Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, known for corporate branding purposes simply as OLG since 2006, is a Crown corporations of Canada, Crown corporation owned by the Government of Ontario, Canada. It is responsible for the province's lottery ...

of the provincial government. Following a major expansion in 2008, it is now known as

Caesars Windsor Caesars Windsor in Windsor, Ontario, Canada is one of four casinos in the Detroit–Windsor area and was opened in 1994 on the waterfront of the Detroit River. Owned by the Government of Ontario (through the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporatio ...

. In response, in 1996 the Michigan state legislature and governor passed a law to establish gaming in the state, beginning with casinos to be constructed in

, the largest city and across from Windsor. Two casinos opened in 1999 and the third in 2000. They were intended in part to help generate revenues for the city of Detroit, which had struggled financially. The last horse races on the flat at DRC were run in 1998. In May 1998 Ladbroke announced the sale of Detroit Race Course. Based on the new 1996 law, which authorized betting at tracks for simulcast events, Millennium, the new owners, used the complex as a venue for viewing simulcast video racing, with associated betting, into 1999. Attempts failed to gain voter approval for expanded forms of gaming at racetracks, such as slot machines. That summer Millennium demolished the facilities to redevelop the property for commercial uses. As noted, the legislature in 1996 approved casinos in the state. Three have opened in Detroit: the

MGM Grand Detroit The MGM Grand Detroit is one of three casino resort hotels in Detroit, Michigan, and one of four in the Detroit–Windsor area. It is owned by Vici Properties and operated by MGM Resorts International. The casino opened in its temporary locatio ...

and MotorCity Casino in 1999, and Greektown Casino-Hotel in 2000. In addition, by 2019 there were two dozen casinos elsewhere in the state owned and operated by federally recognized Native American tribes. Thoroughbred racing was reintroduced at

Hazel Park Raceway Hazel Park Raceway, located in Hazel Park, Michigan, in the metropolitan Detroit area, was a horse race track. From 1949 it offered live thoroughbred racing every Friday and Saturday night May through mid-September, and also offered harness racing ...

in 2014 after 30 years. Harness racing continued at other sites in the state, and now, one last harness racing facility operates, Northville Downs at

Northville, Michigan Northville is a city in Oakland and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 6,119 at the 2020 census. Northville is a suburb of Metro Detroit and is located about west of the city of Detroit and northeast of Ann Ar ...

Sports Creek Raceway Sports Creek Raceway was a harness racing track located on a 100-acre site near Swartz Creek, Michigan. The track opened in 1986, eventually employing 100 workers on live racing days and 40 workers for simulcasting. In 2013, Sports Creek had $67 ...

, a harness racing track near Swartz Creek, Michigan, operated from 1986 to 2015. Several car racing tracks continue to operate in the state.

External links

Images of Detroit Race Course
Defunct horse racing venues in the United States Sports venues in Detroit Harness racing venues in the United States Sports venues completed in 1950 1950 establishments in Michigan 1999 disestablishments in Michigan Defunct sports venues in Michigan Horse racing venues in Michigan Sports venues demolished in 1999 {{Michigan-sports-venue-stub