Hialeah Park: Where Flamingos Watched the Horses Run
The flamingos arrived before the fame. When Philadelphia horseman Joseph E. Widener purchased a hurricane-battered racetrack in Hialeah, Florida, in 1930, one of his first decisions was to stock a lake in the infield with American flamingos. It was an act of showmanship that would define the place for nearly a century. By the time the rebuilt Hialeah Park officially opened on January 14, 1932 -- with a gleaming Renaissance Revival clubhouse designed by architect Lester W. Geisler, landscaped gardens of native flora, and the first Australian totalisator for parimutuel betting ever installed in America -- it was already clear this would be no ordinary racetrack. The Audubon Society eventually designated the park an official sanctuary for the American flamingo. Hialeah Park was where horse racing came to be seen, and where being seen became the point.
An Aviator's Gamble
The track's origins predate the flamingos and the grandstands. In 1922, aviation pioneer Glenn Curtiss and Missouri cattleman James H. Bright opened the grounds as a greyhound racing facility operated by the Miami Kennel Club, part of their larger effort to develop the town of Hialeah itself. The Miami Jockey Club launched thoroughbred horse racing at the site on January 25, 1925, but the devastating 1926 Miami hurricane left the facility in ruins. It took Widener's purchase and Col. Edward R. Bradley's investment to reimagine the grounds on a grander scale. What emerged was a 40-square-block complex stretching from Palm Avenue east to East 4th Avenue and from East 22nd Street north to East 32nd Street -- one of the oldest and most celebrated recreational facilities in southern Florida.
A Track of Firsts
Hialeah Park collected milestones the way its infield lake collected birds. On January 16, 1936, it became the first thoroughbred horse racing venue to install a photo-finish camera, revolutionizing the accuracy of race results across the sport. Decades later, on February 7, 1969, Diane Crump made history as the first woman to ride as a professional jockey in a parimutuel race in the United States. She rode a horse named Bridle 'n Bit in a 12-horse field. The hostility was so intense that Crump needed a police escort just to reach the track, pushing through a crowd of people shouting their disapproval. She finished ninth -- and returned to cheers. The track also hosted the Flamingo Stakes, a crucial stepping stone to the Kentucky Derby for three-year-olds, and the prestigious Widener Handicap, the East Coast counterpart to the Santa Anita Handicap in California.
Lights, Camera, Hoofbeats
Hollywood could not resist Hialeah's grandeur. The 1979 film The Champ, starring Jon Voight, Faye Dunaway, and Ricky Schroder, shot scenes at the track on Flamingo Day in March 1978. In 1987, the horse-racing comedy Let It Ride, with Richard Dreyfuss, Teri Garr, and Jennifer Tilly, used Hialeah Park for most of its principal photography. Even Winston Churchill was photographed at the park in 1946, adding an air of international prestige to the already glamorous venue. Hialeah Park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 2, 1979, and in January 1988, the Secretary of the Interior determined it eligible for designation as a National Historic Landmark.
Silence in the Grandstand
In 2001, a change in Florida state law stripped Hialeah of its exclusive racing dates, forcing it into direct competition with Gulfstream Park and Calder Race Course. Owner John Brunetti closed the track to the public. The filly Cheeky Miss won the last thoroughbred race at Hialeah on May 22, 2001, and then the grandstands went quiet. In 2004, the state revoked Hialeah's thoroughbred permit for failing to hold races for two consecutive years. The stables were demolished in 2007. But the story refused to end. Brunetti secured a new racing permit in 2009 and began a restoration project estimated at $40 to $90 million. The track reopened on November 28, 2009, for quarter horse races, and slot machines arrived in January 2010. On August 14, 2013, a new casino opened at the park. The flamingos, through it all, never left.
From the Air
Located at 25.848°N, 80.278°W in the city of Hialeah, just northwest of Miami. The racetrack complex spans 40 square blocks and is clearly visible from the air as a large oval track with a distinctive infield lake. Hialeah Metrorail station sits at the southwest corner of the property at Palm Avenue and East 21st Street. Miami International Airport (KMIA) is approximately 3 nautical miles to the south-southwest, making this a feature easily spotted during approach or departure from KMIA. Opa-Locka Executive Airport (KOPF) is about 4 nautical miles north. Best viewed at 2,000-4,000 feet AGL, where the oval track, infield lake, and Renaissance Revival clubhouse structures are clearly distinguishable from the surrounding suburban grid.