Aqueduct, also
known as the Big A, opened on 27 September 1894, and was to become one
of America's most legendary tracks. The facility was given the name
"Aqueduct", because the property belonged to the old Brooklyn Water
Works, and was home to a conduit which channeled water to New York City
from the Hempstead Plain.
It's the only racetrack in New York City and is home to the New York
Racing Association's headquarters. Its sister track, Belmont Park, is
eight miles away, and its neighbor is John F. Kennedy International
Airport. It boasts its own station on the New York City Subway -
Aqueduct Racetrack station, and a free shuttle bus, which is operated by
NYRA, runs between the North Conduit Avenue station and the Clubhouse
entrance.
But Aqueduct doesn't just play host to the horses. It's featured in a
few Hollywood movies. In Lucky Number Slevin, it appears in a scene in
the beginning of the movie, and also makes an appearance in A Bronx
Tale, and A Shock to the System. In October 1995, it was privileged to
be of service to Pope John Paul II, which said mass in front of a large
crowd, and a flea market is held in the north parking lot every weekend.
The Big A is also the scene of the first, and currently, the only triple
dead heat for win in a stakes race. It is one racing's landmark events,
when on 10 June 1944, in running of the Carter Handicap, Brownie,
Bossuet, and Wait A Bit hit the finish line at the same time. Legends
like Man o'War, Sword Dancer, Kelso, Buckpasser, Dr. Fager, Secretariat,
Forego, Easy Goer and Smarty Jones and Cigar, all got their rankings at
Aqueduct. But the most famous of all, Cigar, received his name in the
Hall of Fame, when he won the first two races of his 16-race winning
streak. His second win came in the 1994 NYRA Mile, and the Grade 1 race
is now named in the horse's honor, and is known as the Hill 'n' Dale
Cigar Mile.
Due to the hostile weather conditions that reign throughout its racing
season, few significant races are run at Aqueduct today. |
