The New York herald., 1922-01-29
LAST HARNESS RACES
ATPOUGHKEEPSIE
Hudson River Driving Park to
BE Cut Up After Chcckercd
Career Of Fifty Years.

Announcement from Poughkeepsie
that the Hudson River Driving Park is
to be cut up into town lots after the
| Grand Circuit trotting meeting there
next August probably means the sub
traction Of one more from the country's
rapidly dwindling list OF mile tracks.
Like SO many others it was. when built,
cent rapid growth Of the city, come to
be not only available but too valuable
for development AS residential property
to continue a profitable holding for the
purpose for which It. was laid out and
equipped. Outside the Grand Circuit. in
which there are now only eleven tracks.
! one can count on his fingers the mile
courses in active operation in the
| United States. In the early days OF
harness racing they monopolized the
sport. 1t was only after the introduc-
tion of pneumatic sulkies, thirty years
ago. that they began to feel the rivalry
of the half mile rings. Since then they
have disappeared by the score as new
two lap tracks were built and operated
with ever increasing purses to attract
at the biennial meeting OF the National
Trotting Association a few weeks ago,
John c.. Welty, the president stated
that more than 100 trotting meetings
were held last season and that less than
fifty were on mile tracks. He might
have added that the fifty took place on
less than twenty different tracks.
The first meeting at Hudson River
Driving Park was held in 1876. but /,
was not a member of the Grand Cir
cult until the next year. The new track
dropped out after two years. came
In again fer one season In 1889 and was
not again in the circuit until 1889. This
time it lasted two years and then lapsed
until 1884, when one meeting without
pool selling cooled the enthusiasm. In
the meantime Jacob Rupert had pur-
chased the property and turned It int1
the stock farm on which, just before
his death. he bred the champion four
year-old trotter Arion Guy. 1894. He
and II. y. Balm revived Grand Circuit
racing there about fifteen years ago,
and after Mr.. Ruppert's death A. il.
Cosden, David NJ. Look. Andrew w.
Smith and other New York horse breed
ers financed the meetings until 1919.
Thomas w. Murphy and a number OF
Poughkeepsie horscmen have stood be-
hind the last two meetings, as they Will
again this year.
With the disappearance or the Hudson
River Driving Park the Syracuse races
In connection with the New York State
Fair will be the only Grand Circuit
meeting in this State. unless the New
York breeders who backed Poughkeepsic
find another track. To a great many
local horsemen II has long seemed pity
that one of the metropolitan running
courses. preferably the Empire. is not
used for a Grand Circuit meeting in the
city where organized harness racinG
originated and where the leading ner
identified with il now live. Firm as the
running tracks are kept nowadays, IT
needs only n day or two 10 put them IN
condition for trotting. and 1t is safe to
say enough public spirited amateurs
could be found TO underwritc a Grand
Circuit meeting. Those who did so the
last tine. when there was only half
programme TO attract attendance. lost
less than $75 each.