Playfair Race Course

Playfair Race Course
Aerial view in 1995:
parking lot, grandstand, track, and barns
LocationN. Haven Street and
E. Sprague Avenue
Spokane, Washington, U.S.
Coordinates47°40′N 117°22′W / 47.66°N 117.37°W / 47.66; -117.37
Date openedSeptember 10, 1901;
123 years ago
 (1901-09-10)[1]
Date closedJuly 2001,[2] final races on
December 17, 2000;
23 years ago
 (2000-12-17)[1]
Course typeFlat oval, five furlongs
1,100 yd (1.01 km)
Notable racesPlayfair Mile
Spokane Derby
Inland Empire Marathon
Spokane is located in the United States
Spokane
Spokane

Playfair Race Course (known as the Spokane Interstate Fair from 1901–1935) was the home of horse racing in Spokane, Washington, from 1901 to 2000.[1][3][4] The track started out as a four-furlong (half-mile) flat oval, and expanded to five furlongs (1,100 yards (1.01 km)) in 1946.[5] The grandstand was on the west, with the home stretch heading south, and the stables were on the east side.[5][6]

The premier races run at the track were the Playfair Mile, Spokane Derby, and the two-mile (3.2 km) Inland Empire Marathon.[7] The final races were on December 17, 2000,[1] and the track officially closed the following July.[2]

  1. ^ a b c d Price, Jim (April 28, 2013). "Playfair memories rekindled 10 years after its demise". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Spokane's Playfair Race course for sale". ESPN. Associated Press. May 22, 2002. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  3. ^ Price, Jim (July 29, 2001). "Galloping ghosts for nearly 100 years". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington).
  4. ^ Hansen, Pia K. (February 26, 2004). "Final stretch". Inlander. (Spokane, Washington). Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  5. ^ a b "Playfair: a history in photos". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). April 22, 2013. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  6. ^ Tinsley, Jesse (September 4, 2017). "Then and now: Playfair race track development". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  7. ^ "Playfair opens its richest horseracing season ever". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). April 3, 1983. p. D4.