Waiting for the race to start   Save
Ohio Guide Collection
Description: Reverse reads: "Crowds watching the race at Latonia Race Track, Latonia Ky." This photograph shows huge crowds waiting for the race to begin at Latonia Race Track in what is now Covington, Kentucky. There are people standing on either side of the tracks and on the roofs of the stables. The crowd appears to be mostly men and they are all wearing similar hats. Latonia Race Track was built in 1883 and was considered a force in racing, offering top horses, top jockeys, and the country's richest purses. In its heyday the race track offered the major horse race of the year, the Latonia Derby. The Latonia Derby often outshone the Kentucky Derby. In July 1939, Latonia Race Track closed due to the effects of The Great Depression. The property was sold to Standard Oil of Ohio, the track was torn down, and racing disappeared from Northern Kentucky. The spirit of Latonia Race Track was reborn in 1959 when Turfway Park opened in Florence, Kentucky. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B13F01_036_001
Subjects: Arts and Entertainment; Sports; Crowds; Racetracks (Horse racing); Plants and Animals; Horses; Jockeys; Latonia (Covington, Ky.)--History--Pictorial works; Ohio--History--Pictorial works; Federal Writers' Project.
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio); Latonia (Covington, Ky.)