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 track 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, Lebanon Raceway near Cincinnati and Scioto Downs in Columbus.

• 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
  Devil Time	6 F	1:08.32	4/10/04	125
  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

   

• 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.

• Beulah Park Records:

  Record	Figure	Date
  Fortune 6 Payout Record	$179,072.40	3/21/2006
  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.

• 1923 - Track opens as the first original racetrack in Ohio.

• 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.

• 1931 - Regulation of Ohio wagering via the pari-mutuel system under the supervision of the Ohio Racing Commission begins in 1931.

• 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.

• 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.

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.

• 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

• 1987 - Buried on the infield: Beloved Beulah Park horse, Glacial Princess, was interned on the infield of the track and a plaque displays a memorial to the horse. Glacial Princess was a two time Ohio Horse of the year winner in the early 1990s. She died as she lived, racing hard, breaking down after three furlongs on the track. A window cashier took a bet from a bridge jumper the day of her death who placed $34,000 on Glacial Princess to show. The bridge jumper lost it all and never returned to the track. Glacial Princess was owned by Dr. John Graver, a prominent Columbus dentist.

Glacial Princess at Beulah Park: Photo by Harry Kaplan

• 1991 - Star Power: Two Beulah Park jockeys who make the Jockey Star cards are Mickey Solomone and Roberto Gonzalez.

• 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.

• 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 has over 50 years combined experience at the track. Family patriarch Harry Felty has worked at the track for 15 years, most recently in the TV Department. Jenna and Katie's mother, Barb, also has 15 years of employment at Beulah Park. Even sibling sisters Jamie and Sara have worked at the track.

Jenna, Katie, Barb, Harry, Sara, and Jamie.

• 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. Founding Ohio TAB partners Beulah Park and River Downs remain the principal owners of AmericaTab. In August of 2000 WinTicket.com goes online. As a partnership of racetracks, AmericaTab is committed to benefiting live racing. A portion of all interactive and telephone wagers are returned to track partners. Local horsemen also receive a percentage of wagers through the system for their purse accounts.

Beulah Park hosts many family events and concerts in the summer idle days.

• 2004 - In time for the Breeders' Cup in 2004 a wireless hotspot access point is added to the Starting Gate, a gathering area in the upper grandstands. This is considered a first for the horse racing industry. Although online wagering sites are blocked at the access point, patrons can use the system for accessing the premium handicapping services such as those offered by technology partner Brisnet.com.

• 2006 - (January 14) Continuing with its tradition of innovations, Beulah Park launched a new wager with online provider WinTicket.com: 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.