The Nevada gambling capital of the world, Las Vegas, once had its own racecourse on the south side of the city which held its inaugural meeting on 4th September 1953, with racing administered by the Las Vegas Jockey Club. A project was launched in 1946 by Hank Greenspun, a lawyer, and Joseph Smoot, a self-appointed racetrack designer who actually had little knowledge or experience of such matters. However, Smoot did manage to amass a 2 million dollar budget from 8000 shareholders and set about building the racetrack. The project was beset with problems during construction, not least because Smoots accounting methods were unconventional, and it was left to a judge to oversee the final stages of the venture. It was beset with even more problems once the track was opened. A crowd of 8000 attended the inaugural meeting; yet problems abounded, not least with the inoperative betting booths. After just 13 days of thoroughbred racing during 1953 the management closed the track. It reopened in 1954, offering a programme of quarter horse racing, but only operated for 7 weeks before closing for good. The track later opened as a successful speedway track before closing once again. In due course the land was sold and the site of the former racecourse is covered by the Las Vegas Convention Centre, the Las Vegas Country Club and the prestigious Las Vegas Hilton. |
