Jerome Park Racetrack was an American

thoroughbred horse racing Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in t ...

facility from 1866 until 1894. It was located in a part of

Westchester County, New York Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population o ...

that was annexed into

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

in 1874. Jerome Park Racetrack was the home of the

Belmont Stakes The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over 1.5 miles (2,400 m). Colts and geldings carry a weight of ; fillies carry . The race, nicknamed Th ...

from 1867 until 1889. Today, Jerome Park is the name of a neighborhood adjoining the

Jerome Park Reservoir The Jerome Park Reservoir is a reservoir located in Jerome Park, a neighborhood in the North Bronx, New York City. The reservoir is surrounded by DeWitt Clinton High School, the Bronx High School of Science, Lehman College, and Walton High Schoo ...

, Bedford Park and Norwood in the northern Bronx.

History

The racetrack opened in 1866 in the northwest part of Fordham,

Westchester County Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population o ...

(now 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 * '' ...

. Built on the old Bathgate estate, and operated by the

American Jockey Club American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

, its owner/members were led by financier Leonard W. Jerome and

August Belmont, Sr. August Belmont Sr. (born August Schönberg; December 8, 1813November 24, 1890) was a German-American financier, diplomat, politician and party chairman of the Democratic National Committee, and also a horse-breeder and racehorse owner. He wa ...

A luxurious clubhouse was built near a rise that looked over the race course on what was known as "The Bluff". In those days, many would come to the racing park by horse, coach and carriage, or by railroad at

Fordham Station Fordham station, also known as Fordham–East 190th Street station, is a commuter rail stop on the Metro-North Railroad's Harlem and New Haven Lines, serving Fordham Plaza in the Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx, New York City. The platforms ...

, located at the bottom of Fordham Hill and Rose Hill in Old Fordham Village. Later in the century, it would connect to Bedford Park Station. The first

, the oldest of the three U.S. Triple Crown races which was named in honor of

, was held at Jerome Park Racetrack and continued to be run there until 1890 when it was moved to nearby

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 ...

. Jerome Park Racetrack was also the home to the Champagne Stakes from its inaugural running in 1867 through 1889 and the

Ladies Handicap The Ladies Stakes is a historic American Thoroughbred horse race for Fillies and Mares four years of age and older held annually at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. Inaugurated at the Jerome Park Racetrack in 1868, it is the oldest stakes ra ...

, created in 1868 and which today is run at

Aqueduct Racetrack Aqueduct Racetrack is a Thoroughbred horse racing facility and casino in the South Ozone Park, Queens, South Ozone Park and Jamaica, Queens, Jamaica neighborhoods of Queens, New York City, United States. Aqueduct is the only racetrack locate ...

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

and is the oldest

stakes race Glossary of North American horse racing: Additional glossaries at: *Glossary of Australian and New Zealand punting *Glossary of equestrian terms This is a basic glossary of equestrian terms that includes both technical terminology and jargon ...

in the United States exclusively for

fillies A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, t ...

and

mares A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four y ...

. In the spring of 1876, a group of

polo Polo is a ball game played on horseback, a traditional field sport and one of the world's oldest known team sports. The game is played by two opposing teams with the objective of scoring using a long-handled wooden mallet to hit a small hard ...

enthusiasts founded the

Westchester Polo Club The Westchester Polo Club was the first formal American polo club. It was established in the spring of 1876. Events were held at the Jerome Park Racetrack in New York. The club was responsible for the International Polo Cup. The club moved to Newpo ...

at Jerome Park Racetrack. On May 13 of that year, the track was the site of the first outdoor

polo match Polo is a ball game played on horseback, a traditional field sport and one of the world's oldest known team sports. The game is played by two opposing teams with the objective of scoring using a long-handled wooden mallet to hit a small hard ...

ever held in the United States. It is alleged that

Lord Randolph Churchill Lord Randolph Henry Spencer-Churchill (13 February 1849 – 24 January 1895) was a British statesman. Churchill was a Tory radical and coined the term 'Tory democracy'. He inspired a generation of party managers, created the National Union of ...

first met Jerome's daughter,

Jennie Jerome Jennie Spencer-Churchill (; 9 January 1854 – 29 June 1921), known as Lady Randolph Churchill, was an American-born British socialite, the wife of Lord Randolph Churchill, and the mother of British prime minister Sir Winston Churchill. Early ...

, later to be courted and married, at the race park, but this allegation is false. As attested by Sir Winston Churchill in his biography of his father, Lord Randolph Churchill was never in America before his marriage, and the couple actually met in August 1873 at a ball on board the Imperial Russian cruiser "Ariadne" while it was moored at

Cowes Cowes () is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina, facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east bank. The two towns are linked by the Cowes Floa ...

on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...

. The track closed on October 4, 1894 to make way for the

that was needed for the metropolitan

New York City water supply system A combination of aqueducts, reservoirs, and tunnels supplies fresh water to New York City. With three major water systems ( Croton, Catskill, and Delaware) stretching up to away from the city, its water supply system is one of the most extens ...

Thoroughbred stakes races at Jerome Park

* Champagne Stakes *

Juvenile Stakes The Juvenile Stakes (registered as the Golden Fleece Stakes) is a Group 2 flat horse race in Ireland open to two-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) at Leopardstown i ...

Later land usage

Site plan for the Museum of the Peaceful Arts, New York City

The land that formed the western half of the Jerome Park Racetrack was turned into the

. The eastern half of the land was later used for: *

Kingsbridge Armory The Kingsbridge Armory, also known as the Eighth Regiment Armory, is a decommissioned armory at Jerome Avenue and West Kingsbridge Road in the Kingsbridge neighborhood of the Bronx in New York City. It was built in the 1910s, from a design by the f ...

* Walton High School *

Lehman College Lehman College is a public college in the Bronx borough of New York City. Founded in 1931 as the Bronx campus of Hunter College, the school became an independent college within CUNY in September 1967. The college is named after Herbert H. Lehma ...

The Bronx High School of Science The Bronx High School of Science, commonly called Bronx Science, is a public specialized high school in The Bronx in New York City. It is operated by the New York City Department of Education. Admission to Bronx Science involves passing the Spec ...

Jerome Park Jerome Park is a municipal park in the West Bronx of New York City. The park, along with the surrounding neighborhood of the same name, are both on land that was once Jerome Park Racetrack, which was founded by Leonard W. Jerome, grandfather o ...

- a park of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. *

DeWitt Clinton High School , motto_translation = Without Work Nothing Is Accomplished , image = DeWitt Clinton High School front entrance IMG 7441 HLG.jpg , seal_image = File:Clinton News.JPG , seal_size = 124px , ...

High School of American Studies The High School of American Studies at Lehman College (commonly called American Studies, HSAS, or Lehman) is a specialized high school in New York City. The school is administered by the New York City Department of Education. It receives supplem ...

Jerome Yard The New York City Transit Authority operates a total of 24 rail yards for the New York City Subway system, and one for the Staten Island Railway. There are 10 active A Division yards and 11 active B Division yards, two of which are shared betwee ...

Concourse Yard The New York City Transit Authority operates a total of 24 rail yards for the New York City Subway system, and one for the Staten Island Railway. There are 10 active A Division yards and 11 active B Division yards, two of which are shared betwee ...

* High Pumping Station * Harris Field - a park of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. *

Tracey Towers Tracey Towers refers to two twin buildings designed by architect Paul Rudolph, located in the Jerome Park neighborhood of the Bronx, New York City. They are a predominant feature of the Bronx's mainly flat skyline. History The buildings we ...

, and Scott Tower- residential buildings built over the Jerome Yard. During the 1920s, the eastern half of the land was considered as a possible site for the

Museum of the Peaceful Arts The Museum of the Peaceful Arts was a museum in Manhattan, New York City. Established at 24 West 40th St. around 1920, it was later relocated to the Daily News Building at 220 E. 42nd St. It was later closed, and superseded by the New York Museu ...

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 ...

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 ...

Union Course Union Course was a horse racing course in what is now Woodhaven, Queens, in New York City. It hosted some of the most famous horse races in American history, including the 1823 match between American Eclipse (racehorse), American Eclipse and Sir ...

References

* McNamara, John "''History in Asphalt: The Origin of Bronx Street and Place Names''" (1993) Bronx County Historical Society {{coord, 40, 52, 42, N, 73, 53, 43, W, display=title 1866 establishments in New York (state) Defunct horse racing venues in New York City Sports venues in the Bronx History of the Bronx Sports venues completed in 1866 1894 disestablishments in New York (state) Jerome Park, Bronx