Blue Bonnets (raceway) facts for kids
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| Location | Decarie Boulevard Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
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| Date opened | 1872 in Lachine June 4, 1907 on Decarie Blvd. |
| Date closed | October 13, 2009 |
| Course type | Flat and harness |
| Notable races | Prix d'Été |
The Blue Bonnets Raceway was a famous place for horse racing and a casino in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was also known as Hippodrome de Montréal. This special place was open for 137 years before it closed its doors on October 13, 2009.
After closing, the buildings sat empty for almost ten years. Demolition, which means tearing down the old buildings, started in the middle of 2018.
Contents
History of the Raceway
In 1872, the first Blue Bonnets Raceway opened in a place called Lachine, near Montreal. This track was for thoroughbred horse racing. These are fast horses bred for racing.
Later, in 1886, a railway company built tracks that cut the raceway in half. This meant a new location was needed.
A New Home for Horse Racing
In 1905, a group called the Jockey Club of Montreal was started. They opened a brand new Blue Bonnets Raceway on June 4, 1907. This new track was on Decarie Boulevard in Montreal.
In 1958, a person named Jean-Louis Levesque built a very fancy clubhouse at the raceway. By 1961, the Blue Bonnets Raceway became very important in the horse racing world. It even started to compete with bigger racing places in Ontario.
From 1961 to 1975, the raceway hosted a big annual horse race called the Quebec Derby. This race was created by Jean-Louis Levesque.
Changes and New Names
In 1995, the city government bought the raceway. They changed its name to Hippodrome de Montréal. The provincial government then ran the track.
At this time, the Hippodrome offered harness racing. This is a type of horse racing where horses pull a driver in a two-wheeled cart. The site also had places for betting on races from other tracks. Plus, it had many video lottery terminals and slot machines for games.
Why the Raceway Closed
On June 27, 2008, the company that ran the raceway faced financial problems. They had to stop most of their operations, including horse racing. Only the gambling machines stayed open for a few more months.
The provincial government stopped supporting the company. Because of this, the company officially closed the race track for good on October 13, 2009.
What Happened to the Site After Closing?
After the raceway closed, the land sat empty for a long time. In July 2011, a famous rock band called U2 used the site for a huge outdoor concert.
In March 2012, the government said it would give the land back to the City of Montreal. The plan was for the city to sell the land later. However, this agreement was never fully signed. This left the future of the land uncertain for many years.
Plans to tear down the old buildings also didn't happen right away. So, the buildings stayed abandoned and overgrown for almost a decade. Finally, in the summer of 2018, the demolition of the old racetrack began. The plans for what will be built on the site are still being decided.
See also
In Spanish: Hipódromo de Montreal para niños
