Monticello Harness Racing Track
Monticello Harness Racing Track is a major harness racing course on the United States East Coast. It is located at Routes 17 & 17-B, Raceway Road, in Monticello, New York.
Exciting harness racing is held all year round at Monticello Harness Racing Track. Aside from the regular races, the raceway has been playing host to several special races every year, including the famous Heritage Series, a string of tournaments for harness drivers from different ethnic backgrounds. This Series includes, among others:
- the Dr. Martin Luther King Pace, a tournament for some of the best African-American harness drivers from the middle Atlantic states
- the Passover Pace for harness drivers of Jewish heritage
- the St. Paddy Pace for drivers of Irish descent
- the Mayflower Pace for those of British heritage
Monticello Harness Racing Track also hosts the Monticello Marathon, a 2-mile race for trotters, which is held in December.
Monticello Harness Racing Track Facts
The size of the track is about half a mile. The length of the stretch is 500' while the width is 90'. Its speed rating is placed at 2:02. It has a grandstand capacity of 4,500 persons, a clubhouse capacity of 500, and a parking lot capacity of 5,000 cars. A total of 8 starters can be placed behind the gate.
History of Monticello Harness Racing Track
The race track opened on June 27,1958. Its largest single day handle was $1,191,695 on December 11, 2001. Its largest attendance was 17,495 on June 20, 1980.
The course driver with the largest number of wins is Chris Long with 243. He also holds the record for the biggest purse at $341,532. The trainer with the largest number of wins is Joe Minieri with 213.