Good Time Park
Encyclopedia
Good Time Park was a mile-long race track
in Goshen
, New York
that hosted the Hambletonian harness race
from 1930 to 1956.
s and a 2,224-seat grandstand.
The first Hambletonian in Goshen was held on August 27, 1930, and was broadcast on the radio by the Columbia Broadcasting Company
. The victory purse of $58,859.00 was won, after three heats, by Tom Berry driving Hanover's Bertha
. The Hambletonian was held at Good Time Park for the next 26 years, with the exception of 1943, when wartime gas shortages caused it to be moved to Empire City Track
in Yonkers
. After Cane's death in 1956, conflicts over the administration of the sport caused the race to be moved out of New York State, to DuQuoin, Illinois. It was intended as a two-year stopgap measure, but the Hambletonian never returned to Goshen.
in East Rutherford, NJ, where the race is still run. The last races were held at Good Time in the 1970s, and the grandstand was finally taken down by the early 1980s.
now cutting through the southern part of the track. The footings of the grandstand can still be found as well as the rail on the inner circumference of the track. A single reviewing stand remains as well, visible from the nearby Orange Heritage Trailway
.
Developers have coveted the area since at least the 1970s, when a massive development was proposed: 137 single-family houses, 308 multi-family units, 150 rental apartments and two strip malls. Some construction actually took place, but was abandoned. Land prices in Goshen and surrounding areas have soared in recent years, however, and a new development of 116 single-family homes has been proposed, despite community opposition.http://archive.recordonline.com/archive/2002/07/27/jhdhousi.htm
Race track
A race track is a purpose-built facility for racing of animals , automobiles, motorcycles or athletes. A race track may also feature grandstands or concourses. Some motorsport tracks are called speedways.A racetrack is a permanent facility or building...
in Goshen
Goshen (village), New York
Goshen is a village in and the county seat of Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 5,676 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport,...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
that hosted the Hambletonian harness race
Harness racing
Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait . They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, although racing under saddle is also conducted in Europe.-Breeds:...
from 1930 to 1956.
History
A largely unmaintained field for the first century of its existence, the area that would become Good Time Park was originally called Fiddler's Green. At the beginning of the 19th century it was a common meeting place for local races, training, and breeding. Use died out around 1820, and it was largely forgotten until 1899, when it was refurbished to be used to train trotters. Sports promoter and horse owner William H. Cane bought the land in 1926, named the new track Good Time Park, and began to hold races there. By 1927 it had become a Grand Circuit track, with a large stableStable
A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals...
s and a 2,224-seat grandstand.
The first Hambletonian in Goshen was held on August 27, 1930, and was broadcast on the radio by the Columbia Broadcasting Company
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
. The victory purse of $58,859.00 was won, after three heats, by Tom Berry driving Hanover's Bertha
Hanover's Bertha
Hanover's Bertha was a standardbred horse and harness racing champion. She won the Hambletonian at Good Time Park in 1930, and was the first winner to go on to foal another Hambletonian winner, 1937's Shirley Hanover....
. The Hambletonian was held at Good Time Park for the next 26 years, with the exception of 1943, when wartime gas shortages caused it to be moved to Empire City Track
Yonkers Raceway
Yonkers Raceway, founded in 1899 as the Empire City Race Track, is a one-half-mile standardbred harness racing dirt track and New York state-approved slots racino located at the intersection of Central Park Avenue and Yonkers Avenue in Yonkers, New York near the New York City border...
in Yonkers
Yonkers, New York
Yonkers is the fourth most populous city in the state of New York , and the most populous city in Westchester County, with a population of 195,976...
. After Cane's death in 1956, conflicts over the administration of the sport caused the race to be moved out of New York State, to DuQuoin, Illinois. It was intended as a two-year stopgap measure, but the Hambletonian never returned to Goshen.
Decline
Good Time Park remained open after the Hambletonian moved away, hosting other, lesser horse races. In 1981, an attempt to bring back the Hambletonian failed; it went instead to The MeadowlandsMeadowlands Racetrack
The Meadowlands Racetrack is a horse racing track at the MetLife Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States.The track hosts both thoroughbred racing and harness racing...
in East Rutherford, NJ, where the race is still run. The last races were held at Good Time in the 1970s, and the grandstand was finally taken down by the early 1980s.
Today
Although it has gone back to woods and fields, Good Time Park's unusual triangular shape is still visible from the air, with New York State Route 17MNew York State Route 17M
New York State Route 17M is an east–west state highway in Orange County, New York, in the United States. It extends for from west of the city of Middletown to what is currently the north–south section of NY 17 just southeast of the village of Harriman...
now cutting through the southern part of the track. The footings of the grandstand can still be found as well as the rail on the inner circumference of the track. A single reviewing stand remains as well, visible from the nearby Orange Heritage Trailway
Orange Heritage Trailway
The Orange Heritage Trailway is a rail trail in Orange County, New York, that runs along the former Erie Railroad Main Line from Harriman to Middletown, New York.- History :...
.
Developers have coveted the area since at least the 1970s, when a massive development was proposed: 137 single-family houses, 308 multi-family units, 150 rental apartments and two strip malls. Some construction actually took place, but was abandoned. Land prices in Goshen and surrounding areas have soared in recent years, however, and a new development of 116 single-family homes has been proposed, despite community opposition.http://archive.recordonline.com/archive/2002/07/27/jhdhousi.htm