Union Course 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 ...

course in what is now

Woodhaven, Queens Woodhaven is a neighborhood in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Queens. It is bordered on the north by Park Lane South and Forest Park, on the east by Richmond Hill, on the south by Ozone Park and Atlantic Avenue, and th ...

, in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. It hosted some of the most famous horse races in American history, including the 1823 match between American Eclipse and Sir Henry. The track was located between what are now

Jamaica Avenue Jamaica Avenue is a major avenue in the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, New York, in the United States. Jamaica Avenue's western end is at Broadway and Fulton Street, as a continuation of East New York Avenue, in Brooklyn's E ...

on the north, Atlantic Avenue on the south, 78th Street on the west, and 85th Street on the east.Lewis, Barr
A Walk Through Queens -- Birth of a Borough
/ref>

Background

Although horse races (and betting on them) had enjoyed popularity in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

prior to the American Revolution, the sport fell out of favor in the northern part of country after the war, and was seen as fostering immoral behavior. In 1802, the New York State legislature passed an "Act to Prevent Horse-Racing" and banned the sport altogether.Eisenberg, John
The Great Match Race: When North Met South in America's First Sports Spectacle
p.62- (2007)() Kroessler, Jeffrey A
The Greater New York Sports Chronology
p. 18- (2009) () Laws of the state of New-York, Vol. III
p.52 (1804)(text of bill as passed on March 19, 1802) In 1820, the "New York Association for the Improvement of the Breed of Horses" (NYAIBH) was founded by

John Cox Stevens John Cox Stevens (September 24, 1785 – June 13, 1857) is best known for founding and serving as the first Commodore of the New York Yacht Club as well as being a member of the ''America'' syndicate which, in 1851, won the trophy that would beco ...

and Cornelius W. Van Ranst, among others, and successfully pushed to repeal the ban. In 1821, New York approved a limited bill allowing races only in May and October, and only in Queens.An Act to Amend...
p.451 (copy of act passed on March 30, 1821 allowing exemption) Goldberg, Ryan (November 11, 2010
The golden era of Brooklyn racing
''

Daily Racing Form The ''Daily Racing Form'' (DRF) (referred to as the ''Racing Form'' or "Form" and sometimes "telegraph" or "telly") is a tabloid newspaper founded in 1894 in Chicago, Illinois, by Frank Brunell. The paper publishes the past performances of race ...

'', Retrieved November 15, 2010 ("That track gave way to the famous Union Course in 1821 at a location closer to the City of Brooklyn. The Union Course survived almost a half-century.") Not coincidentally, NYAIBH had already purchased land in

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

on the western border of Queens with

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

. The first races were held on October 15, 1821, when

Lady Lightfoot {{Infobox racehorse , horsename = Lady Lightfoot , image = , caption = , sire = Sir Archy , grandsire = Diomed , dam = Black Maria , damsire = Shark , sex = Filly , foaled = 1812 , country = United States , colour = Brown , breeder ...

(from North Carolina) suffered one of her few losses to the famed American Eclipse. Union Course was a nationally famous racetrack situated in the area now bounded by 78th Street, 85th Street, Jamaica Avenue, and Atlantic Avenue. The Union Course was the first ''skinned'' — or dirt — racing surface, a curious novelty at the time. The course was originally without grandstands. The custom of conducting a single, four-mile (6 km) race consisting of as many heats as were necessary to determine a winner, gave way to programs consisting of several races. Match races between horses from the South against those from the North drew crowds as high as 70,000. The

Brooklyn and Jamaica Rail Road The Atlantic Avenue Railroad was a company in the U.S. state of New York, with a main line connecting downtown Brooklyn with Jamaica along Atlantic Avenue. It was largely a streetcar company that operated its own trains, but the Long Island R ...

(later, the

Long Island Rail Road The Long Island Rail Road , often abbreviated as the LIRR, is a commuter rail system in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, stretching from Manhattan to the eastern tip of Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk Co ...

) built a station nearby, which it named Union Course, which also became the name of the surrounding neighborhood. Several hotels (including the Snedeker Hotel and the Forschback Inn) were built in the area to accommodate the racing crowds. In the 1823 match set up by

, American Eclipse (representing the North) raced Henry (representing the South). Eclipse won the best-of-three heats competition. 60,000 spectators watched.(May 22, 2009
Racing to history
''Daily Racing News'', Retrieved November 15, 2010 ("May 27, 1823: A $20,000 match race between American Eclipse (representing The North) and Henry (representing The South) was held at Union Course, Long Island. Eclipse won in two-of-three heats, after his original jockey, William Crafts, was replaced by Samuel Purdy before the second heat. The race, witnessed by 60,000 spectators, was the first to have been timed by split-second chronometers, which were imported for the event.") Grimes, William (May 10, 2006)
The Day Two Great Horses Foreshadowed the Civil War
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', Retrieved November 15, 2010 (May 31, 1908
Where the Ponies Run for the Masses
''

'', Retrieved November 12, 2010 (May 14, 1905
New York Racing Returns to Its Original Home
''

'', Retrieved November 12, 2010 In the 1830s, likely 1837, the Union Course became the first racecourse in America to have beveled turns, turned up on the outside, thus increasing speed on the course. The popularity of match races at Union Course gradually declined; after 1851, trotting races became the main attraction. Sold in 1872, by 1888 the course was subdivided into building lots for new housing.The End of a Famous Race Course
'' Wallace's Monthly'', November 1888, p. 664 Union Course Park advertisement
''

Brooklyn Eagle :''This article covers both the historical newspaper (1841–1955, 1960–1963), as well as an unrelated new Brooklyn Daily Eagle starting 1996 published currently'' The ''Brooklyn Eagle'' (originally joint name ''The Brooklyn Eagle'' and ''King ...

'' (1888 advertisement) The Running Turf in America
''

Harper's Magazine ''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. (''Scientific American'' is older, b ...

'' (June 1870) Union Turnpike, an important thoroughfare running through eastern Queens, is named after Union Course.

Other defunct New York race tracks

Brighton Beach Race Course The Brighton Beach Race Course was an American Thoroughbred horse racing facility in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, New York (state), New York, opened on June 28, 1879 by the Brighton Beach Racing Association. Headed by real estate developer William A. ...

Gravesend Race Track Gravesend Race Track at Gravesend in Brooklyn, New York was a Thoroughbred horse racing facility that opened in 1886 and closed in 1910. The track was built by the Brooklyn Jockey Club with the backing of Philip and Michael Dwyer, two wealthy raci ...

Jamaica Race Course Jamaica Race Course, also called the Jamaica Racetrack, was an American thoroughbred horse racing facility operated by the Metropolitan Jockey Club in Jamaica, Queens, New York City. History The track opened on April 27, 1903, a day which featu ...

Jerome Park Racetrack Jerome Park Racetrack was an American thoroughbred horse racing facility from 1866 until 1894. It was located in a part of Westchester County, New York that was annexed into the Bronx in 1874. Jerome Park Racetrack was the home of the Belmont Sta ...

Morris Park Racecourse Morris Park Racecourse was an American thoroughbred horse racing facility from 1889 to 1904. It was located in a part of Westchester County, New York that was annexed into the Bronx in 1895 and later developed as the neighborhood of Morris Park. T ...

Roosevelt Raceway Roosevelt Raceway was a race track located just outside the village of Westbury on Long Island, New York. Initially created as a venue for motor racing, it was converted to a ½-mile harness racing facility (the actual circumference was 100 fee ...

Sheepshead Bay Race Track Sheepshead Bay Race Track was an American Thoroughbred horse racing facility built on the site of the Coney Island Jockey Club at Sheepshead Bay, New York. Early history The racetrack was built by a group of prominent businessmen from the New Yo ...

Dexter Park (Queens) Dexter Park was a public park located in the neighborhood of Woodhaven, Queens, New York City, just north of Eldert Lane and Jamaica Avenue, not far from the borough line with Brooklyn. It had a long early history starting in the 19th century as a ...

References

{{coord, 40, 41, 20.88, N, 73, 51, 38.29, W, , display=title Defunct horse racing venues in New York City Woodhaven, Queens 1821 establishments in New York (state) Sports venues in Queens, New York Sports venues completed in 1821

Background

Other defunct New York race tracks

See also

References