Dufferin Park Racetrack was a

racetrack A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also us ...

for

thoroughbred horse race Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...

s located on

Dufferin Street Dufferin Street is a major north–south street in Toronto, Vaughan and King, Ontario, Canada. It is a concession road, two concessions (4 km) west of Yonge Street. The street starts at Exhibition Place, continues north to Toronto's nor ...

in the city of

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada. It was demolished in 1955 and its stakes races moved to

Woodbine Racetrack Woodbine Racetrack is a race track for Thoroughbred horse racing in the Etobicoke area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Owned by Woodbine Entertainment Group, Woodbine Racetrack manages and hosts Canada's most famous race, the King's Plate. The track ...

as part of a consolidation of racetracks in the Toronto area. The track was owned by Abe Orpen and his family after his death. Only in length, it was also called Little Saratoga. The site is now the Dufferin Mall shopping centre.

History

After a provincial racing charter was granted in 1894 to the ''York Riding and Driving Association'' to operate horse racing and sell liquor, a half-mile track was laid out on of land on the west side of Dufferin Street owned by Charles Leslie Denison. After Denison died, Abraham "Abe" Orpen leased the land from Denison for per year and opened Dufferin Racetrack in 1907. Horse race gambling was controversial at the time and the charter was revoked in 1909, although this was due to a legal technicality as the charter had not been used for several years prior to 1907. Orpen appealed to Canadian Prime Minister

Wilfrid Laurier Sir Henri Charles Wilfrid Laurier (November 20, 1841 – February 17, 1919) was a Canadian lawyer, statesman, and Liberal politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Canada from 1896 to 1911. The first French Canadians, French ...

directly and was granted a federal charter. Orpen, along with other businessmen incorporated the ''Metropolitan Racing Association of Canada'', under a federal racing charter, which allowed betting on the site beyond provincial controls. The Association was originally capitalized for , divided into 40 shares of $100 and six of $10. The track had its stables to the south of the track, along with a winter barn which was also used for offices. The public entrance was at the south-east corner of the property, through the stable yard. Betting was handled by bookmakers who operated in front of the grandstand and in the infield, and bets were also made on races at other tracks. Admission was charged to the patrons, although free admission was granted after the first few races. Racing was held into November, and often races were held in the dim light of the evening. Judges would hold lanterns to judge the finishing order. In one infamous incident during these "midnight races" a long-shot horse named Mulock held up at the turn and waited until the horses made a lap of the track and then raced to the finish ahead of the others. Despite the controversy, the bets on Mulock were paid. The track was a financial success, one of several successful tracks in the Toronto area. In 1916, Orpen opened the Kenilworth Park Racetrack in Windsor, Ontario. In 1917, Orpen was an investor in the

Thorncliffe Park Raceway Thorncliffe Park Raceway was a Toronto-area racetrack that operated from 1917 until 1952. It was located east of Millwood Road, south of Eglinton Avenue East and the CPR's railroad tracks. It was the first home of the Prince of Wales Stakes. The ...

. In 1924, Orpen opened the

Long Branch Racetrack Long Branch Racetrack was a horse-racing facility in Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada. It was situated in Etobicoke, then a township, just north of the village of Long Branch, Toronto, Long Branch and just west of the city of Toronto. It operated from ...

Etobicoke Township Etobicoke (, ) is an administrative district and former city within Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Comprising the city's west end, Etobicoke is bordered on the south by Lake Ontario, on the east by the Humber River, on the west by Etobicoke Cre ...

, just north of the village of Long Branch. Orpen renewed the lease in 1925 and purchased the track a few years later. After Orpen died in 1937, his son Fred Orpen took over and operated the racing syndicate. Fred would play the national anthem on a piano on the public address system every meet day at Dufferin to start the day. During World War II, Long Branch was closed and some of its stakes races were held at Dufferin Park. From 1942–45, the Canadian International Stakes and the Cup and Saucer Stakes were run at Dufferin Park. Thorncliffe closed in 1952 and the Orpen tracks were sold to E. P. Taylor and closed down in 1955, with racing consolidated at the new

. Taylor paid a reported million for Orpen's tracks and racing charters and transferred them to the Ontario Jockey Club on December 1, 1955. The final race was on November 8, 1955, won by Honeybelloo. The Dufferin Mall is located on the site today. After the sale, Fred Orpen got out of the horse-racing business completely. He built an estate on of land near Alton, which he sold in 1972 to develop a housing sub-division. He died on October 28, 1978, at the age of 82.

Other uses

The site was also used as the location for an annual travelling circus. It was used by local high school Central Commerce Collegiate for athletics meets. From 1951, the site was also used for a musical theatre production in a tent, called ''Melody Fair''.

References

External links

Dufferin Race Track articles

Toronto's Horse Racing History
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dufferin Park Racetrack Defunct horse racing venues in Canada Defunct sports venues in Toronto 1907 establishments in Ontario 1955 disestablishments in Ontario Horse racing venues in Ontario Sports venues demolished in 1955

History

Other uses

See also

References

External links