From an early age, my father, who could be abusive, took me to the racetrack. There, his attention was on the racing instead of on me, making it feel like a safe place. Over time, racing became ingrained in me. As a teenager, I began sneaking into Yonkers Raceway, betting at OTB, and eventually, as an adult, owning racehorses.
In 2024, Freehold Raceway, which had become my favorite racetrack as an adult, closed for good. Now, the last two racetracks in New Jersey may be headed for the same fate.
This Sunday, Aqueduct, one of my father’s two favorite racetracks, will close forever, too.
I have many good memories of Aqueduct, but the scene from A Bronx Tale filmed there will always be one of my favorites, a reminder of an era that is now truly gone:
For me, the greatest horse-racing movie, bar-none, is Let It Ride:
The Greatest Racetrack Scene:
The greatest race I ever won:
