A Tradition Of Excitement!

RIVER DOWNS CELEBRATES 80 YEARS OF RACING

Dawn was breaking on a warm summer morning in 1925 and there was a unique air of excitement surrounding Cincinnati's new showcase of thoroughbred racing. On the path leading from the backstretch past the racing secretary's office a muscular black colt was led past the gates. A crowd of onlookers pressed against the white rail as the horse planted his hooves into the manicured sand surface.

This was no ordinary daybreak at Coney Island racetrack, and the horse that disappeared into the mist off the Ohio River was no ordinary animal. It was opening day for action on the track, and the first horse ever to gallop past the finish line was none other than the legendary Black Gold, the horse who still holds the record for most "Derby" wins in North America. Opening day marked the first organized racing in Cincinnati since the closing of the Old Oakley Race Course some fifteen years prior. 

A crowd of 10,000 watched and wagered on the inaugural seven race card, wagering $83,000. Many of those came by riverboat on the regularly scheduled run from the public landing downtown to the Coney Island landing. The track had been constructed at a cost of one million dollars and was financed by a group of New York businessmen who were associated with the politically prominent Tammany Hall Group. The sensational race mare Princess Doreen thrilled the crowd at Coney Island that season. The champion handicap mare defeated male rivals in the Cincinnati Enquirer Handicap while carrying a 129 lb. impost on her back. 

The quaint open-air grandstand gave view to many sensational racing events over the next seven decades. Old-timers still speak of the great Derby run here in 1926. The Cincinnati Derby attracted Belmont Stakes winner Display, American Derby winner Boot to Boot, and Carlaris, who had won 7 of 8 starts at Tijuana. Each of these had won over $100,000 that season, a huge sum for the times. Crusader won by 3 in track record time of 2:02 for the 1 1/4 miles.

The eyes of the racing world were riveted on this Cincinnati oval on October 12, 1935. Three weeks earlier, the 3-year-old fillies Myrtlewood and Clang performed in a stirring match race at Hawthorne Park, with Myrtlewood collecting the $2,000 purse for her nose victory. The pair met here under exact conditions - 6 furlongs, under 110 lbs., but the result was exactly reversed. Clang not only turned the tables on her rival, but they hit the wire together in a world record time of 1:09 1/5! 

The legendary Seabiscuit made two appearances here in 1936.  Trainer “Silent Tom” Smith shipped in from Detroit with jockey “Red” Pollard for two consecutive starts. On October 3, he ran third in the Western Hills Handicap and two weeks later he ran third in the Eastern Hills Handicap.  He closed well and fast in both efforts, that some may surmise they were used as training races.  Seabiscuit then shipped to New York to the old Empire track and won the Scarsdale Handicap by a nose at odds of 12 to 1.

After surviving the tragic flood of 1937, the track re-opened under the banner of "River Downs." Racing primarily in the summer months, the riverside racing facility would bloom with excitement and beauty. The exceptional 7 furlong turf course was created in 1956, making River Downs the 13th track in America with a grass racing strip. Over the years, this well-groomed greensward has drawn rave reviews from horsemen across the country.

May 17, 1976 is a day that will long be remembered by the racing fans at River Downs. It was on that overcast afternoon that a baby-faced apprentice jockey won the eighth race aboard Red Pipe. It was the race that would launch the career of one of the world's most renowned riders - Steve Cauthen. "The Kid", as he was fondly called, went on to be the leading apprentice and overall rider at River Downs that season. Local fans had goose bumps, when two years later, he teamed up with Affirmed to become the youngest rider to sweep the Triple Crown.

During the '80's, the Miller Genuine Draft Cradle Stakes grew to become the richest race for 2-year-olds in the state. The 1983 winner, Coax Me Chad went on to record a rousing second-place finish behind Swale in the Kentucky Derby the following year. The 1984 "Cradle" winner did his predecessor one better - he won the Kentucky Derby. The speedball named Spend A Buck not only took the roses in May, but went on to win ten races and over $4.2 million, eventually being crowned as Horse of the Year.

The second "Horse of the Year" produced by the "Cradle" was the 1993 winner Peaks and Valleys. After closing out his 3-year-old season with earnings of $1,373,750 and wins in the Grade I Molson Million and Meadowlands Cup, he was declared Canada's Horse of the Year. 1994 victor, Devil's Honor turned out to be a well traveled multiple stakes winner after his "Cradle" tally. He earned over $793,000 and captured the Pennsylvania Derby exactly one year after his victory at River Downs. In 1997 Cowboy Dan captured the "Cradle" shortly after losing to champion Favorite Trick by a neck. Cowboy Dan, like Spend A Buck went on to win the Grade II Arlington-Washington Futurity in his next start. The 1998 edition was captured by Overbrook Farm's Mountain Cat. The D. Wayne Lukas trainee was ridden to victory by Pat Day.

The 1999 edition of the “Cradle” produced another Derby winner, this one coming from the barn of Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider. Mighty, with Pat Day up could not get past Deputy Warlock here, but the following season he defeated the outstanding runners Captain Steve and More Than Ready in the Louisiana Derby. Mongoose went wire to wire in the 2000 Labor Day headliner.  He matured into a true distance horse and as a 4-year-old defeated Kentucky Derby winner Monarchos and followed that win by capturing the Grade 1 $500,000 Donn Handicap over Preakness winner Red Bullet.

The 2000 Miller Genuine Draft was the deepest field ever to compete.  The race produced three graded stakes winners and one of the best runners of this generation.  Ohio-bred Harlan’s Holiday continues to compete and to date has won $3,475,164.  He was sent away as the favorite in the Kentucky Derby after back-to-back Grade 1 wins in the Florida Derby and Toyota Blue Grass Stakes.  He has also accounted for victories in the Grade 1 Donn Handicap and and Grade 3 Pennsylvania Derby.  He traveled to Dubai where he collected a $1.2 million dollar check for the runner up spot in the World Cup.  Pass Rush came out of the 2000 “Cradle” as did Day Trader.  Pass Rush won the Grade 2 San Fernando Breeders’ Cup and finished second in the 2003 Grade 2 Churchill Downs Handicap.  Day Trader, from the D. Wayne Lukas stable, won the Grade 3 Kentucky Cup Sprint.

Over the decades, the wooden grandstand began to strain under the weight of its loyal fans. The current track owners and managers, who purchased the facility in 1975 , elected to construct an entirely new grandstand and construction began immediately at the end of the 1988 racing season.

To the credit of management, they elected to keep the style of the traditional open-air grandstand - but the resemblance to the building of 1925 ends there. Wooden benches were replaced with well-spaced stadium seats, a game room was installed next to a new gift shop, and escalators ferry the bettors to an expanded mezzanine level with numerous concession stands, betting windows and Finnigans Pub.

In addition to the $16 million grandstand, the paddock was doubled in size, accentuating the River Downs' philosophy that fans like to be close to the action and the horses. Following the 1989 reconstruction of the grandstand, several million dollars were invested in upgrading the Clubhouse. A new air-conditioning unit was installed, over 250 television monitors put in place, and the upper Clubhouse underwent extensive renovation that included beautiful cherry wood and Italian marble.

On September 19, 1996, the track entered into a new era when state legislation finally allowed for Full Card simulcasting to take place in the state. In a matter of weeks after the live meet ended, the River Downs Clubhouse was transformed into the country's most modern simulcasting center - the River Downs RaceBook. Thoroughbred and Harness racing from across the nation is broadcast over a new 500 set state-of-the-art television system that features over one hundred 40 inch, high resolution direct-view televisions.

River Downs is offering free parking and free admission to both the RaceBook and the grandstand throughout the year. The track is also entertaining sports fans with several satellite receivers that bring down a myriad of professional and college sporting events.

With the advent of increased simulcasting and the innovative Twin Seven Supercard, River Downs has been on the cutting edge of technology and has a unique 110 channel in-house television system in place that allows the viewers access to race replays of every race, advance viewing of upcoming simulcast race conditions and preview shows, changing odds formats and program changes. The track is the first to show viewers the "Instant Exacta" - a graphic that displays current payoffs for the first two horses as the race is being run. River Downs is also the first track to feature a channel with a "minutes to post" chronological display of all tracks being shown.

Only months after the renovation of the River Downs RaceBook, the track fell victim to the "Flood of '97. Waters flowed over the banks of the Ohio River in March at a rate that hadn't been witnessed for over 50 years. The entire lower level of the Clubhouse was flooded, as was the entire first level of the grandstand, office area and barn area (which luckily, was unoccupied at the time). Due to the determination of the entire River Downs staff, the track lost only 18 days of operation before the upper level of the RaceBook was back in operation. Against all odds the track opened on schedule for live racing in late April. In addition to a completely new lower level Clubhouse, the backstretch underwent extensive improvements including a newly designed and renovated racing office and kitchen area.

For over three-quarters of a century, race fans have enjoyed the pleasure of taking in the races at this beautiful track that has kept up with the times, while never losing its ambiance. Located only minutes from downtown Cincinnati along the scenic Ohio River, River Downs is warm, friendly, and it keeps you close to the live action while presenting year-round simulcast racing in a comfortable setting that is on the cutting edge of modern technology.

DRF River Downs History