Union Course was a

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

course in what is now

Woodhaven, Queens Woodhaven is a neighborhood in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Queens. It is bordered on the north by Park Lane South and Forest Park, on the east by Richmond Hill, on the south by Ozone Park and Atlantic Avenue, an ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. It hosted some of the most famous horse races in American history, including the 1823 match between American Eclipse and Sir Henry. The track was located between what are now

Jamaica Avenue Jamaica Avenue is a major avenue in the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, New York, in the United States. Jamaica Avenue's western end is at Fulton Street and Broadway, as a continuation of East New York Avenue, in Brooklyn's ...

on the north, Atlantic Avenue on the south, 78th Street on the west, and 85th Street on the east.Lewis, Barr
A Walk Through Queens -- Birth of a Borough
/ref>

Background

Although horse races (and betting on them) had enjoyed popularity in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

prior to the American Revolution, the sport fell out of favor in the northern part of country after the war, and was seen as fostering immoral behavior. In 1802, the New York State legislature passed an "Act to Prevent Horse-Racing" and banned the sport altogether.Eisenberg, John
The Great Match Race: When North Met South in America's First Sports Spectacle
p.62- (2007)() Kroessler, Jeffrey A
The Greater New York Sports Chronology
p. 18- (2009) () Laws of the state of New-York, Vol. III
p.52 (1804)(text of bill as passed on March 19, 1802) In 1820, the "New York Association for the Improvement of the Breed of Horses" (NYAIBH) was founded by

John Cox Stevens John Cox Stevens (September 24, 1785 – June 10, 1857) was the founding Commodore of the New York Yacht Club. He was a member of the ''America'' syndicate which, in 1851, won the trophy that would become the America's Cup. Early life Stevens w ...

and Cornelius W. Van Ranst, among others, and successfully pushed to repeal the ban. In 1821, New York approved a limited bill allowing races only in May and October, and only in Queens.An Act to Amend...
p.451 (copy of act passed on March 30, 1821 allowing exemption) Goldberg, Ryan (November 11, 2010
The golden era of Brooklyn racing
''

Daily Racing Form The ''Daily Racing Form'' (DRF) (referred to as the ''Racing Form'' or "Form" and sometimes "telegraph" or "telly") is a tabloid newspaper founded in 1894 in Chicago, Illinois, by Frank Brunell. The paper publishes the past performances of rac ...

'', Retrieved November 15, 2010 ("That track gave way to the famous Union Course in 1821 at a location closer to the City of Brooklyn. The Union Course survived almost a half-century.") Not coincidentally, NYAIBH had already purchased land in

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

on the western border of Queens with

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

. The first races were held on October 15, 1821, when Lady Lightfoot (from North Carolina) suffered one of her few losses to the famed American Eclipse. Union Course was a nationally famous racetrack situated in the area now bounded by 78th Street, 85th Street, Jamaica Avenue, and Atlantic Avenue. The Union Course was the first ''skinned'' — or dirt — racing surface, a curious novelty at the time. The course was originally without grandstands. The custom of conducting a single, four-mile (6 km) race consisting of as many heats as were necessary to determine a winner, gave way to programs consisting of several races. Match races between horses from the South against those from the North drew crowds as high as 70,000. The Brooklyn and Jamaica Rail Road (later, the

Long Island Rail Road The Long Island Rail Road , or LIRR, is a Rail transport, railroad in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, stretching from Manhattan to the eastern tip of Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk County on Long Islan ...

) built a station nearby, which it named Union Course, which also became the name of the surrounding neighborhood. Several hotels (including the Snedeker Hotel and the Forschback Inn) were built in the area to accommodate the racing crowds. In the 1823 match set up by

, American Eclipse (representing the North) raced Henry (representing the South). Eclipse won the best-of-three heats competition. 60,000 spectators watched.(May 22, 2009
Racing to history
''Daily Racing News'', Retrieved November 15, 2010 ("May 27, 1823: A $20,000 match race between American Eclipse (representing The North) and Henry (representing The South) was held at Union Course, Long Island. Eclipse won in two-of-three heats, after his original jockey, William Crafts, was replaced by Samuel Purdy before the second heat. The race, witnessed by 60,000 spectators, was the first to have been timed by split-second chronometers, which were imported for the event.") Grimes, William (May 10, 2006)
The Day Two Great Horses Foreshadowed the Civil War
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', Retrieved November 15, 2010 (May 14, 1905
New York Racing Returns to Its Original Home
''

'', Retrieved November 12, 2010 In the 1830s, likely 1837, the Union Course became the first racecourse in America to have beveled turns, turned up on the outside, thus increasing speed on the course. The popularity of match races at Union Course gradually declined; after 1851, trotting races became the main attraction. Sold in 1872, by 1888 the course was subdivided into building lots for new housing.The End of a Famous Race Course
'' Wallace's Monthly'', November 1888, p. 664 Union Course Park advertisement
''

Brooklyn Eagle The ''Brooklyn Eagle'' (originally joint name ''The Brooklyn Eagle'' and ''Kings County Democrat'', later ''The Brooklyn Daily Eagle'' before shortening title further to ''Brooklyn Eagle'') was an afternoon daily newspaper published in the city ...

'' (1888 advertisement)

References

{{coord, 40, 41, 20.88, N, 73, 51, 38.29, W, , display=title Defunct horse racing venues in New York City Woodhaven, Queens 1821 establishments in New York (state) Sports venues in Queens, New York Sports venues completed in 1821

Background

See also

References