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
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Location in the United States
Spokane is located in Washington (state)
Spokane
Spokane
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Location in Washington

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.