STAMFORD PARK - NIAGRA FALLS ONT
Horse racing has been a popular sport in Niagara since the officers at the garrison at Fort George began to show off their horses and their riding abilities on the commons at Newark (Niagara-on-the-Lake). Stamford Park began in 1922 when sports enthusiasts P. G. Demetre and Thomas Duggan purchased 182 acres of farmland next to the Canadian National Railway. At the time, the Park was outside the City in the old Stamford Township. Stamford Park Racetrack opened with an eight-day October 13, 1923. The Park boasted an 800-metre dirt oval racetrack with grandstand seating for 800 spectators and barns and stables for 260 horses. As the popularity of the track grew, so did the facilities. Two years after opening, a second, one-mile track shared space with the original 1/2mile
track and more barns and stables were constructed to house 360 horses. After World War II the facilities were improved again with barns and stables for 700 horses, parking for 5,000 cars, a spur line from the CNR tracks for special trains, and a 3,000-seat covered grandstand with restaurant. It is believed that the stock cars first started sharing the facilities with race horses as early as 1948. The post-war period also brought a new "fad": stock car races began to share the facilities with horse races. Spectators spent $1.00 for adults and $0.50 for children for a seat in the fully-covered grandstand. The track gained a reputation as being the "car killer", especially hard on cars with its rutted flat surface and dangerous board fences which could pierce a racer like a knife through butter. Stamford Park was the first track in Canada to hold a NASCAR Grand National race on July 1, 1952. The headline race — 200 laps — was won in 2 hours, 11 minutes and 33 seconds, the overall average
speed was 45.610 mph! Seventeen cars started the race, but because the track became so rough, only three cars managed to complete the event. Herb Thomas would start from the pole; but could not keep pace with Buddy Shuman who went on to win the race by two laps over Thomas. During the rest of 1952, the local stock car drivers continued to dice it out at Stamford, but from August 18 - September 3 each year, the horses would take over the facilities. Stamford Park closed September 1, 1953, and over the next few years the track's many buildings were demolished. Most of the area is now the site of the Ascot Woods subdivision
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