The Cumberland Race Track (1924-1961), also known as the Fairgo Race Track, was located just outside the west side of Cumberland, Maryland along McMullen Highway at the location of the present day

Allegany County Fairgrounds ''The Allegany County Fairgrounds'' is located just west of Cumberland, Maryland along McMullen Highway. Throughout the year the fairground holds musical concerts, car races, and private events. Once annually the Allegany County fair is held on th ...

. The Track facility boasted 300 horse stalls and was the first half-mile track in the state of Maryland for racing horses. The Track was founded in 1924 when the Fairgo company was formed by the stock holders of the Cumberland Fair Associations. The track was well regarded as one of the most beautiful tracks in Maryland and frequency attracted 20,000 to 25,000 spectators during its peak years. The biggest day was Governor's Day, when the governor would come in from

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

to attend the races. The Cumberland Race track was part of the Maryland horse racing circuit, where horse races took place in order starting with

Timonium Racetrack The Maryland State Fair is the annual state fair for the state of Maryland. It is held at the Maryland State Fairgrounds located near the intersection of York and Timonium roads in Timonium. As of 2006, the fair is an 11-day event, customaril ...

followed by Marlboro Race Track, and then the Cumberland Race Track. In order to transport the horses to the Cumberland Race track 12-16

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first common carrier railroad and the oldest railroad in the United States, with its first section opening in 1830. Merchants from Baltimore, which had benefited to some extent from the construction of ...

cars were used as transport, arriving in Cumberland 14 hours later on Sunday mornings. Today, the race track is being used for auto racing.

References

* Brooke Gunning & Paige Horine, ''Maryland Thoroughbred Racing'', Arcadia Publishing, , 2005, pages 32-33. {{coord, 39, 36, 31, N, 78, 47, 52, W, display=title History of Cumberland, MD-WV MSA Sports in Cumberland, Maryland Defunct horse racing venues in the United States Motorsport venues in Maryland Buildings and structures in Cumberland, Maryland Tourist attractions in Allegany County, Maryland Horse racing venues in Maryland 1924 establishments in Maryland 1961 disestablishments in Maryland