Rockingham Park opened its doors in 1906 and has more than 100 years of history.

History of Rockingham Park

FORMATION OF THE ROCK

The owners of the Kimball and Woodbury Farms in the tiny outpost of Salem Depot, N.H. sold the land that would become Rockingham Park in 1905 to the New England Breeders’ Club headed by New York investors John “Bet-a-Million” Gates and Andrew Miller. They spent more than $1 million building a state-of-the-art clubhouse and the new track was proclaimed the world’s finest. Contrary to popular belief the track was not named for this county but for The Marquess Rockingham, a founder of the English Jockey Club. On June 28, 1906 Rockingham Park opened as New England’s first and finest track to rave reviews from 10,000+ fans who traveled from all over the Northeast. Alyth, a 2-year-old Thoroughbred, won the first race. But gambling was illegal in N.H. so betting on the 21-day meet went underground and the financial losses forced closure.

THE LOU SMITH ERA

With the country reeling from the Great Depression, Rockingham Park had fallen into ruin. Visionary sports promoter Lou Smith formed the New England Breeders’ Association with Sam Simon to purchase the property in 1931. They renovated the facilities and brought back Thoroughbred racing in the summer, but gambling was still illegal in N.H. and the meet was shut down after five days. For the next two years, and with his persuasive friend the famous N.Y. sportswriter Damon Runyon, Smith lobbied state lawmakers to pass pari-mutuel wagering in 1933.  Smith’s dream came true when the Thoroughbreds returned on June 21st for a full meet with legal betting. Smith formed the New Hampshire Jockey Club in 1936, and the track became known as “Little Saratoga” for its beauty and racing quality which attracted the sport’s biggest human and equine stars, celebrities, and large daily crowds. Smith and his wife, Lutza, were admired for their vast charitable endeavors which raised millions of dollars. Smith brought many innovations to racing which still stand. He was synonymous with Rockingham until his 1969 death.

THOROUGHBRED RACING

Rockingham Park, known as “Little Saratoga” in its glory years, holds a storied place in the history of the sport. The greats, both human and equine, raced here when the track was an important stop on the national racing calendar. Six immortals- Discovery, Seabiscuit, Hillsdale, Roman Brother, Dr. Fager and Mom’s Command- are enshrined in the national Hall of Fame. Owned by New Englander Peter Fuller, Mom’s Command won her debut race here in the 1984 Faneuil Miss Stakes and in 1985 the 3-year-old filly became just the sixth to win the national Triple Tiara. Mark Antony set the world record for the 1-mile 70 yds. distance in 1958 under local legend Henry Wadja. Rockingham’s turf course was installed in 1986 and quickly earned a reputation as one of the country’s best. Marquetry, trained by Hall of Famer Bobby Frankel, won the $500,000 New England Classic, part of the American Championship Racing Series televised nationally on ABC, on the main track in 1991. Silks representing some of the most celebrated stables were frequently seen racing at Rockingham, and more than 50 trainers and in excess of 40 jockeys who competed here are in the Hall of Fame. Live Thoroughbred racing ended after the 2002 season.

THE EARLY YEARS

On Columbus Day 1911 the grounds reopened under new ownership and 50,000 people witnessed the region’s first arial meet when the New England Aviation Company sponsored the event. Lt. Thomas Milling, who trained under the Wright Bros., set an altitude record of 1,600’ in his bi-plane. August 20, 1912 was the opening of the Rockingham Fairs, which lasted until 1915 with hot air balloons, livestock shows, a carnival, exhibits, and Grand Circuit harness racing with no wagering. Keynote was the first Standardbred to win a race. In 1917 during World War I Camp Rockingham was the bivouac site for the 14th U.S. Army Corps of Engineers before they sailed to France to fight.

THE AUTOMOTIVE ERA

Though the first auto races were held in 1912 on the former horse racing track it wasn’t until the 1920s when the era revved up. In July 1925 races were still on the dirt oval and Ralph DePalma won the 100-mile race with an average speed of 76.9 mph. Buoyed by the races’ popularity, wooden planks were built over the track with a steep incline for daredevil drivers and the burgeoning American Automobile Association sanctioned board track races. Peter DePaolo won the 250-mile race in his Duesenberg at an average speed of 125 mph. Motorcycle board track racing was also an attraction and Curly Fredericks set the speed record of 120 mph. The board track was so dangerous it was ripped up in 1929. Auto and motorcycle racing continued on the dirt until 1932.

STANDARDBRED RACING

Harness horses first raced around the oval as part of the Grand Circuit from 1912 until the Rockingham Fairs ended in 1915. The Grand Circuit returned in 1932 and the country’s best trotters competed until 1935. In the summer of 1934, the grey-coated standardbred Greyhound won his first race here and thereafter won the 1935 Hambletonian, which is harness racing’s equivalent of the Kentucky Derby. The great “Gey Ghost” was honored as Trotter of the Century by the Harness Racing Hall of Fame after his death. In 1958 a half-mile harness track was built in the Rockingham infield and spring and fall standardbred meets bookended the summer Thoroughbred meets until 1980, when the great fire shuttered the track. In 2003 Rockingham was converted to harness racing exclusively and the trotters competed on the former Thoroughbred one-mile track. All live racing ceased after the 2009 meet.

NEW HAMPSHIRE SWEEPSTAKES

N.H. legalized the nation’s first modern lottery in 1963 and the track’s long association with the state lottery began. In 1964 sweepstakes tickets were sold statewide and the prizes were tied to the results of two Thoroughbred races at the track, the Rockingham Special and the inaugural New Hampshire Sweepstakes. The New Hampshire Sweeps’ $250,000 purse was the richest in the country, even doubling the Triple Crown races of the day. The race attracted the best horses, trainers and jockeys, many of them future Hall of Famers. Roman Brother won the first edition in 1964 and went on to be racing’s coveted Horse of the Year in 1965. Doctor Fager, the only Thoroughbred to win four championships in a single season, won the 1967 Sweeps and Rockingham Special both in stakes and track record times that still stand. The Doctor, the 1968 Horse of the Year, is rated #6 in the 100 top Horses of the 20th Century. The 1964-65 runnings of the Sweeps were broadcast nationally on ABC-TV’s Wide World of Sports. The race’s importance diminished over time as other states introduced their lotteries.

AFTER THE FIRE

In July 1980 a devastating fire gutted the grandstand and the track then owned by the New Hampshire Jockey Club was shuttered for four years. It rose from the ashes in 1984 under new ownership of Rockingham Venture, Inc. Partners Joseph Carney, Jr., Edward Keelan, Dr. Thomas Carney, and Max Hugel spearheaded the construction of a new facility as well as the revitalization of Thoroughbred racing. Fans were welcomed back on May 26, 1984 and Valiant Lark won the renewed New Hampshire Sweepstakes in September. Full card simulcasting of tracks from around the country was introduced in 1991. In 1997 the ways to play were expanded with charitable Bingo and in 2006 the Poker Room opened with games of chance. Over the following years the venue hosted Sno-X racing, boxing and MMA fights, year-round trade shows, and other major events. The First Celebration on December 31, 1999 ushered in the new Millennium in grand style and the Townspeople of Salem were among the 15,000 revelers at The Rock’s 100th birthday party on July 2, 2006. On August 31, 2016 Rockingham Park closed its doors for the final time.

Happening at Tuscan Village…

Help us to create more and educate others on the history of Rockingham Park; this is just the beginning!

  • Rockingham Park once stood on the 171-acre site of Tuscan Village. To honor the past and the horses, jockeys, trainers, and stables that competed there over the decades a bronze statue stands in a designated area that is marked by a recreation of the original wrought iron stable gate from 1906. We invite you to join the effort to keep the track’s memory alive.