Benning Race Track was a

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

and

motorsport Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of two ...

venue that opened in 1890 on the east side of

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

With the close proximity to the capital, the races were attended by many politicians. A journalist once took a photo of

Alice Roosevelt Longworth Alice Lee Roosevelt Longworth (February 12, 1884 – February 20, 1980) was an American writer and socialite. She was the eldest child of U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt and his only child with his first wife, Alice Hathaway Lee Roosevelt. Lo ...

placing a bet, much to the chagrin of her father

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

, who suppressed the sale of the photos to the newspapers. Famous jockey Walter Miller won all five races during a Benning meet in 1906. The track operated until Congress banished horse racing in the District in 1908. The last race day was April 12 of that year and the grandstand burned in 1915.Benning Track Burned, Boston Evening Transcript, Nov 16, 1915 After horse racing ended, the track was used for

automobile racing Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organi ...

though the 1910s. It continued as a training stable and event venue until the 1940s. In 1938, inventor

Jonathan Edward Caldwell Jonathan Edward Caldwell (born March 24, 1883, date of death unknown) was a self-taught aeronautical engineer who designed a series of bizarre aircraft and started public companies in order to finance their construction. None of these was ever succe ...

demonstrated his prototype

Autogyro An autogyro (from Greek and , "self-turning"), also known as a ''gyroplane'', is a type of rotorcraft that uses an unpowered rotor in free autorotation to develop lift. Forward thrust is provided independently, by an engine-driven propeller. Whi ...

at the abandoned track. In 1942, a developer bought the track to build the Mayfair Mansions apartment complex. Mayfair Mansions opened in 1946, providing housing options for working and middle class African American families.

References

External links

Lost Washington: Benning Race Track
Defunct horse racing venues in the United States Defunct motorsport venues in the United States {{horseracing-venue-stub