Saturday, June 15, 2013

Brunswick Downs




Exactly 50 years ago this weekend, on Saturday, June 15, 1963, Brunswick Downs in Moncton opened its doors with a new name and management team.  Formerly called Moncton Raceway - which itself opened in 1946 - Brunswick Downs became an integral part of the Maritime harness racing scene until a fire destroyed the grandstand on August 30, 1981.  It was later determined that the fire had been caused by arson, the second such attempt within a month.

There was no harness racing in Moncton for another three years until Champlain Raceway was built on the same site with a new state of the art grandstand and five-eighths mile racetrack in 1984.

To commemorate the historical opening of Brunswick Downs, I am reprinting the following story that appeared in the Moncton Daily Times, trumpeting the opening and all its improvements.

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Moncton and district harness racing fans are in for a top-notch season if the caliber of racing at the local oval comes anywhere near Brunswick Downs enthusiastic start.  Since the company was formed early last winter and bought out Moncton Raceway February 2, 1963, a “sell”, the likes of which has never been seen by local fans, has been on.

Brunswick Downs, headed by Ingham Palmer, Jr., a former radio announcer in Saint John and track announcer at Saint John’s Exhibition Park, has several prominent names listed in its directory.  Among them are F. Gordon MacLeod of St. Martins, vice-president and E.A. Keyes of Moncton as secretary-treasurer.  Directors include J.A. Keefe of Moncton, J. Edward Murphy, QC. of Moncton, Harvey Hicks and Ingham Palmer, Sr. both of Moncton.


Much has been done and much is planned at the oval to give fans the best in the “trot and pace” sport and also the best in comfort while watching.  Local fans will have an opportunity to see for themselves, the renovations made up to this time when the track swings into action on Saturday, June 15, 1963.

Though the track has changed tremendously since work began some six weeks ago much more is in store.  

As Palmer Jr. says, “Most of our improvements have been in places where the public cannot see them.”  

Palmer added that Brunswick Downs had hoped to give the preference in renovating the grandstand area but due to the deplorable stable conditions this took preference.  Of the 101 stalls at the track, more than 70 required new roofs and floors and of this number most required extensive wall and door repairs.  Work in this area took up much time but horsemen now have better facilities in which to stable their charges.  Work in the stables will continue for some time with the erection of 36 new stalls in the offing.  The area formerly occupied by the hanger, which was demolished two months ago, will be the site of these stalls.

In front of the grandstand patrons will readily notice the removal of a stock car track and the resulting leveling of the infield area.  In time grass and flowers will grace the area once occupied by the stock car circuit.  A new tote board, measuring 22 feet long and only five feet high, has been erected in the centerfield.  Eventually a horseshoe shaped winner’s circle will be installed to the right of the tote board.  Around the track the old hub rail has been torn down and replaced by a new one.  A great deal of work on the track surface has been done. Due to the amount of snow fall this past winter and frost heaves, much of the track required work.  In the upper turn before the stretch, 400 feet of drainage tile was installed around the outer rim and deep ditches around the inner rim of the turn.

The application of paint in the grandstand area has made the area brighter and prettier.  Seats have been painted yellow, red and blue.  A white and yellow job to the pari-mutual section was also added.  Considerable work to the mutuals has resulted in changes for both the workers and bettors.  In days gone by the bettor had to squint through chicken wire as he placed his wager. Now this barrier has been destroyed and replaced by an open counter running the full length of the betting section.

Improvements have also been made to the track’s lighting system.  Around the outside of the track repairs have been made to the high fences which serve as a background as the horses flash by.  The fence, along the full length of the backstretch and around the lower turn, has been repaired.

All starts at the track will be handled by one of the smartest and most efficient starting gates in the Maritimes.  A gleaming white convertible, customized to accommodate the wings of the gate, will be used.  The qualities of this gate will assure the starter better control of the horses.

Among future plans is a patio near the grandstand and other not-yet-revealed renovations and improvements.  

Palmer Jr. himself stated that, “The Downs is a long way from being the most elaborate track in the Maritimes but I think we’ll, in time, have the smartest operation of any. And added improvements will give us a track that shouldn’t take a back seat to any.”

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Currently, in New Brunswick there are only three tracks racing - Fredericton, Saint John and Woodstock – but during the first half of the twentieth century there were as many as 20 operating at any given time.   If you read some of my earlier blogs, you may recall how New Brunswick and the rest of the Maritimes Provinces were the hotbed of harness racing in Canada during that time.  I made mention of how driving clubs in Atlantic Canada and Maine boasted of “community-owned” horses. 

I consider the peak years for New Brunswick harness racing tracks to be from the end of the First World War in 1918 to the beginning of the Second World War in 1939.  In 1919, racing returned to New Brunswick very strongly and among the new tracks that had opened or were opening included Island Park in Woodstock, Bathurst, Campbellton and the Sussex Speedway. 

Below is a list of list of historical race tracks in New Brunswick - which are no longer operating - with the years that there were recorded race meets and their track records.  Some track opening and closing dates are estimates though we do know racing occurred between these dates.  However, not all tracks raced annually and at times there were many years or decades between racing meets.  As well, most or all tracks in New Brunswick were closed or used as military training centres during the two World Wars, especially World War II.

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the records below.  If you are able to add or correct any of the content, please contact me at cjsp81@hotmail.com


NEW BRUNSWICK HISTORICAL RACE TRACKS

Andover (1947-1948)
Four Freedoms - 2:09/3 (p) 1947

Barachois, Ocean Park (1967-1968)
Caledonian Scott - 2:02 ½ (p) 1968

Bathurst (1917-1941)
Jeanne Truax - 2:12 (p) 1941

Bristol (1899-1900)
Dora - 2:24 ¼ (t) 1901

Bouctouche (1937-1991)
Copper Magnate - 2:03.3 (p) 1991
Alloway - 2:08 ½ (t) 1940

Campbellton (1916-1939)                                                            
Jeanne Truax - 2:11 ¾ (p) 1939

Chatham (1903-1982)                                                    
Wade’s Bret - 2:04.4 (p) 1978
Watchim - 2:08 ½ (t) 1944

Chatham  (1994)                                              
Hortons Light - 2:03.4 (p) 1994

Claire (1921-1938)                                                                          
Peter Onward - 2:09 ½ (p) 1938

Dorchester (1927-1937)                                
Jean Stratton - 2:15 (p) 1937
Captain H - 2:28 (t) 1927

Edmundston (1900-1946)
Hot Feet - 2:04 ¾ (p) 1946
Lady Glenn - 2:19 (t) 1901

Elgin                                                                     
Mary Kenna - 2:12 ½ (t) 1922

Grand Falls                                                        
Simon - 2:21 ¼ (p) 1907

Havelock                                                            
Queenie May - 2:22 (p) 1935

Hope River                                                        
Home Rule - 3:08 (t) 1888

Memramcook (1892-1893)                                                          
Brazilian - 2:30 (t) 1893

Moncton Driving Park (1881-)                                   
Hedgewood K - 2:08 ¼ (p) 1928
Lincoln Axworthy - 2:12 ½ (t) 1929

Moncton Raceway (1946-1962)
Brunswick Downs (1963-1981)  
Power Baron - 2:00.2 (p) 1979
Maple Leaf Scooter - 2:05.4 (t) 1978

Moncton - Champlain Raceway / NB Downs (1984-1991)
Broussard - 1:52.3 (p) 1991
Maple Leaf Bramble - 2:00.4 (t) 1986

Port Elgin (1896-1957, 1994-1996)                                                            
Price Lee Steady - 2:01 (p) 1996
Duke Potemkin - 2:14 (t) 1939
Marjorie Hanover – 2:14 (t) 1944

Sackville (1908-1946)                                                    
Rhea Mae - 2:09 ¼ (p) 1946
Estell Boy - 2:17 ¾ (t) 1908

Shediac (1886-1938)                                                      
Happy L - 2:10 (p) 1938
Thorndale Echo - 2:30 (t) 1896

St. Stephen (1886-1944)                                                               
Walter Dale - 2:05 (p) 1937
Watchim - 2:06 ¾ (t) 1944

Sussex Corner (1899-1909)                                         
Simassie - 2:13 (p) 1906
Ituna - 2:15 ½ (t) 1902
Phebon W - 2:15 ½ (t) 1904
                                               
Sussex Speedway (1918-1920, 1944-1950)                                           
McKylo Cash - 2:08 (p) 1947
Sunnymede - 2:11 ¾ (t) 1945

Woodstock Trotting Park (1881- 1909)                   
Silk Patchen - 2:11 ½ (p) 1909
Beatrice Greely - 2:16 ¾ (t) 1904                                               

Woodstock, Island Park (1919-1967)                       
Comte Richelieu - 2:04.4 (p) 1966
Calument Calling - 2:07 ½ (t) 1939

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This year will be the 45th anniversary of Connell Park Raceway’s opening in Woodstock on July 25, 1968 and I will look at the history of harness racing in New Brunswick’s first incorporated town - with a focus on the famous Island Park racetrack which was located in the Saint John River between Woodstock and Grafton - in the coming weeks.  Island Park had harness racing from 1919 until 1967 when the island was completely submerged by the construction of the Mactaquac dam.


Connell Park Raceway will host its only card of harness racing this year on Friday, August 2. 

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I would like to acknowledge Doug McCarty and Patrick Eastwood’s contribution to this blog.  Most of the content for the historical tracks records was researched by Doug.

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For more blogs on New Brunswick harness racing go to thefrederictonscene.blogspot.ca

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1 comment:

  1. Would you happen to know what year & month the fire in the stalls at Brunswick Downs Moncton was? Thanks for any help you can give me.

    ReplyDelete