History of Beulah Park
Ohio's First Thoroughbred Racetrack
Beulah Park, founded in 1923, was the first Thoroughbred racetrack in Ohio. There are currently three Thoroughbred tracks and four harness tracks in the state. Rivers Downs in Cincinnati and Thistledown in Cleveland hold annual race meets. Harness racing takes place at Northfield Park in Cleveland, Raceway Park near Toledo (also owned by Penn National Gaming, Inc.), Lebanon Raceway near Cincinnati and Scioto Downs in Columbus.
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Beulah Park Racing Records:
|
Horse |
Distance |
Time |
Date |
Wgt |
|
Littlemagbrother |
2 Miles |
3:25.60 |
12/20/05 |
120 |
|
Din's Dancer |
1 1/16 M |
1:40.80 |
11/3/90 |
122 |
|
King's Wailea |
1 M 70 Yds |
1:40.15 |
11/19/93 |
111 |
|
Appygolucky |
1 Mile |
1:35.47 |
1/17/03 |
116 |
|
Hehaz Given |
6 F |
1:08.24 |
1/16/12 |
122 |
|
North and South |
5.5 F |
1:02.52 |
2/1/04 |
116 |
|
Love Pappa Mucci |
5 F |
56.75 |
2/11/94 |
117 |
|
Last Rebel |
4.5 F |
50.96 |
4/18/03 |
116 |
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1922 -
OSU Horseshoe and Beulah Park Built within Years of each other:
The famous Ohio State University Horseshoe where the Buckeyes play their
home football games was completed in 1922, one year later Beulah Park was
built just south of Columbus in Grove City.
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Beulah Park Records:
|
Record |
Figure |
Date |
|
Fortune 6 Payout Record |
$364,589.50 |
1/30/2007 |
|
Live Racing Only Handle |
$1,085,950 |
3/5/1980 |
|
* All Simulcasting Handle |
$3,216,364 |
1/18/2006 |
|
Attendance for live racing |
11,772 |
5/15/1954 |
* All Simulcasting Handle: $3,216,364 on
January 18, 2006,
beat the previous handle of $2.4 Million set on February
2004.
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1923 - Track opens as the first original racetrack in
Ohio.
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1920s -
On the Q.T., Greyhound Racing Appears at
the Track: Soon after the track opened in the early 1920s, greyhound
racing appeared on occasion. The stealth appearances by the greyhounds were
short-lived and were not publicized because greyhound racing in Ohio was
illegal.
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1931 -
Regulation of Ohio wagering via
the pari-mutuel system under the supervision of the Ohio Racing
Commission begins in 1931.
|
Click
here to read the
names of officials inside
this 1978 program |
1978 Combined,
Daily Double, and
Quinella tickets |
In this 1950 post card Grant Avenue continued to
one of
two main entrances (see red car which is on Grant) The
main entrance awning was lit with fluorescent lighting.
Only small evidences of the main structure remain
(compare
the awnings on the left) in this recent photo. Grant
Avenue was blocked in new construction started in 1985.
An innovative Leader in the future of Horse
Racing
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1983 -
Beulah Park was the first track
in Ohio to offer simulcast wagering on the world famous Kentucky
Derby. In 1983, the track installed the first satellite
receiving system to present the Triple Crown event to local
racing fans. It wasn't until 1996 that full-card simulcasting on
multiple tracks began in the state of Ohio.
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1984 -
Legacy of Missing Records: Searching for 1965 horse
winning percentages at Beulah Park? Many records were lost in
1984 when the owner of Darby Downs (track name at the time)
removed all records in a midnight raid in January of that year.
Records were later computerized, but the mainframe computer that
hosted all the data for the track crashed in 1995, many records
were lost in the meltdown.
The spacious new entrance was highlighted by a 1988 mural
painted by the legendary Fred Stone, which appears on
the right. Click
here
for a straight-on view of the mural.
Aerial Photograph on
April 15, 1979
In this 1979 Aerial photograph you can notice that Grant
Avenue continues past the grandstands. Note the two racing
ovals. Click
here
for an enlarged view with broader area.
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1986 -
Renovations by New
Owner: When real-estate developer and horseplayer enthusiast
Charles J. Ruma purchased the track in 1986, he set forth a
schedule of renovations to be completed by the end of the
decade. Included in the $12 million dollar renovation project
was track resurfacing, a new Outdoor Paddock area, and a new
Administration building.
A new paddock area was part of the 1986 renovations
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1991 -
Star Power: Two Beulah Park jockeys who make the Jockey Star
cards are Mickey Solomone and Roberto Gonzalez.
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1993 -
Beulah Park was the first track in Ohio to offer telephone betting
on local and national races. Ohio TAB (Telephone Account Wagering)
began operation in November of 1993 and has grown on a national
level to include AmericaTab and the VoiceBet, telephone, closed loop
computer, and wireless wagering platforms.
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2000 -
Beulah Park Twins Reach National Appeal: Jenna and Katie, the Beulah Park Twins, have their popularity increased to a national audience. Articles on their audience appeal are reported in the New York Times and PlayBoy Magazine. The syndicated television show, "Extra" also did a segment on the Twins and their handicapping popularity prowess. They also make frequent appearances around the country in track promotions. The family of the Beulah Park Twins is well acquainted with Beulah Park with their father, mother and sisters working at the facility.
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2000 -In 2000 AmericaTab is the new corporate name for Ohio TAB, which was originally founded in November of 1993 by Beulah Park, River Downs, Scioto Downs and Thistledown. In August of 2000 WinTicket.com goes online.
Beulah Park hosts many family events and concerts in the
summer idle days.
2006 - (January 14) Continuing with its tradition
of innovations, Beulah Park launched a new wager: a 25-cent Pick 6 wager with a jackpot of $50,000 on its
introduction. The new quarter bet is based on a Pick 6 wager that will
pay the major pool amount only on a unique ticket of Pick 6 winners with
the following basics of the bet.
This is a first in the United States.
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2007 - (January 30) The Fortune 6 at Beulah Park paid
364,589.50 on Tuesday, January 30, 2007, making it the second time that the
Fortune Six has recorded the single largest payout in United States history
for a wager with a base unit of less than a dollar. The previous high payout
for the Fortune Six was $179,072.40, which was hit on March 21, 2006.
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2010 - A record FORTUNE 6 pool of $1,143,114.94 is distributed on the May 1, Kentucky Derby Day racing card.
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2010 - (July 1) Penn National Gaming, Inc., the largest operator of pari-mutuel racetracks in the United States and one of the largest gaming companies in North America, completes its purchase of Beulah Park. Penn National Gaming owns, operates or has ownership interests in gaming and racing facilities with a focus on slot machine entertainment. The Company presently operates twenty-three facilities in sixteen jurisdictions, including Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ontario. In aggregate, Penn National's operated facilities feature over 27,800 gaming machines, over 500 table games, over 2,000 hotel rooms, one million square feet of gaming floor space, over 1100 annual live racing performances and wagering of over $1 billion at its pari-mutuel facilities.
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