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{"source_url": "https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com", "url": "https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/local-history/story/2019-12-29/agua-caliente-racetrack-opened-90-years-ago", "title": "From the Archives: The Agua Caliente racetrack opened 90 years ago", "top_image": "https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/68e2137/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5426x2849+0+2060/resize/1200x630!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F5a%2F95%2Fb5d975dd47ddbb2de3118bbea3ad%2Fdec-29-1929-caliente-crowd.jpg", "meta_img": "https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/68e2137/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5426x2849+0+2060/resize/1200x630!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F5a%2F95%2Fb5d975dd47ddbb2de3118bbea3ad%2Fdec-29-1929-caliente-crowd.jpg", "images": ["data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==", "https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/2ae4116/2147483647/strip/true/crop/800x800+0+0/resize/100x100!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F5c%2Fd9%2F71363ac2d997cf67cab44f116db0%2Fimg-5a9f2a76-turbine-sdut-merrie-monteagudo", "https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/68e2137/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5426x2849+0+2060/resize/1200x630!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F5a%2F95%2Fb5d975dd47ddbb2de3118bbea3ad%2Fdec-29-1929-caliente-crowd.jpg", "https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/30c5692/2147483647/strip/true/crop/600x58+0+0/resize/600x58!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff3%2Fb7%2Fadf600f34fec9ffaaa61c95d0ec9%2Fsdutlogoinverse.png", "https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/e81e7fb/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3324x1914+0+0/resize/840x484!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd1%2F97%2F92f7cef94493b9783083219a9498%2Fcaliente-racetrack-1929-002.jpg", "https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/e82d79f/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1244x120+0+0/resize/1244x120!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff8%2F73%2F81abbf5b42368becddfaae316e13%2Fsdut-black-2x.png", "https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c2e48d8/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5325x6802+0+0/resize/840x1073!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F28%2F98%2Fc6d11fad4aa089103fb86c4348ed%2Fdec-29-1929-caliente-photos.jpg", "https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/b780a11/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5426x6968+0+0/resize/840x1079!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F5a%2F95%2Fb5d975dd47ddbb2de3118bbea3ad%2Fdec-29-1929-caliente-crowd.jpg"], "movies": [], "text": "Ninety years ago, a crowd of thousands that included celebrities Charlie Chaplin and Al Jolson poured into Tijuana as the Agua Caliente racetrack opened on Dec. 28, 1929. That opening day at Agua Caliente started an eventful 63-year run of racing at the border track.\n\nFrom The San Diego Union, Sunday, December 29, 1929:\n\nNearly 15,000 Fans Witness Opening Card At New Caliente Oval\n\nBy Ted Steinmann\n\nBefore a crowd that filled the stand to capacity and overflowed onto the lawn and walks, a throng of 15,000 enthusiastic followers of the turf, the new new home of the Agua Caliente Jockey club opened its gates yesterday.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nIt was a double celebration, a welcome upon the return of the thoroughbred to the Southland and a dedication of the magnificent new $2,500,000 home of winter racing in the west. The plant was all that the throng expected and more.\n\nTo Scot\u2019s Grey, game 5-year-old gelding from the stable of William R. Coe, New York sportsman, went the honor of winning the inaugural event, the San Diego handicap. The roan ran a game race. Getting to the top on the first turn, the son of Grey Fox II never relinquished the lead, though repeatedly challenged by others in the field of eight. He came on in the stretch drive to win by half a length over Fire Brigade, with Battle Ax, coupled with the winner in the betting, taking the show.\n\nCREECH SADDLES WINNER\n\nBenny Creech, veteran conditioner of thoroughbreds, now traing the Coe string, saddled the winner, with N. Rechardson riding. Time was 1:46 for the mile and a sixteenth.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nScot\u2019s Grey took down $1300 of the $2000 purse as first money for Coe, with Fire Brigade winning $425 for P.L. Ciceri. Battle Ax won $225, third money, for Creech, and Scimitar, winner of the Tijuana cup last year, took fourth money for the Agua Caliente stable of James N. Crofton of $50. The latter, top weight of the field and favorite with the throng, which remembered his victory in the Tijuana cup last spring, was away slowly and though coming with a bust of speed in the stretch, could not get up.\n\nThe winner rewarded at $9.40, $6,40 and $6 in the $2 mutuel machines; tickets on Fire Brigade were worth $28 to place and $19.50 to show, Battle Ax paying off with the winner as the Coe-Creech entry.\n\n(The San Diego Union)\n\nWhen Scot\u2019s Grey returned to the judges\u2019 circle Al Jolson, famed \u201cmammy singer,\u201d stepped up as master of ceremonies, while his wife, Ruby Keeler, crowned the winner with a floral shield carrying the emblem of the jockey club.\n\nMiss Keeler greeted Jockey Richardson after he dismounted while the newsreel and still camera clicked amid the cheers of the crowd.\n\nThe premiere of the new course was all that could be expected. True, there were little things to be done here and there, but the racing strip was ready and all major equipment was ready.\n\nThe beauty of the structures and the completeness of the plant in every detail took the crowd by storm. It came expecting great things and found even more.\n\nWirt G. Bowman, Baron Long and James N. Crofton, the \u201cBig Three\u201d of Agua Caliente, dreamed of a course that would do that, and yesterday the dream came true.\n\nAerial view of the race course of the Agua Caliente Jockey club before it opened on Dec. 28, 1929. The photo shows the back of the grandstand, clubhouse and a portion of the mile oval track. The covered walk from the railroad and sunken gardens are in the foreground with parking spaces to the right. (Photo from Harry Pollok / Agua Caliente Jockey Club) Published The San Diego Union Dec. 24, 1929.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nThe crowd began arriving early to view the new plant. By train, automobile and airplane the throng came. After the arrival of the 10-car special from Los Angeles and San Francisco and the major race trains, the stand was well filled and the crowd overflowed onto the lawn. Hundreds thronged the grounds, getting oriented before the first race of the day.", "keywords": [], "meta_keywords": [""], "tags": [], "authors": [], "publish_date": "Sun Dec 29 00:00:00 2019", "summary": "", "article_html": "", "meta_description": "Agua Caliente racetrack at Tijuana opened Dec. 28, 1929", "meta_lang": "en", "meta_favicon": "/apple-touch-icon.png", "meta_data": {"og": {"title": "From the Archives: The Agua Caliente racetrack opened 90 years ago", "url": "https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/local-history/story/2019-12-29/agua-caliente-racetrack-opened-90-years-ago", "image": {"identifier": "https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/68e2137/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5426x2849+0+2060/resize/1200x630!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F5a%2F95%2Fb5d975dd47ddbb2de3118bbea3ad%2Fdec-29-1929-caliente-crowd.jpg", "url": "https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/68e2137/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5426x2849+0+2060/resize/1200x630!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F5a%2F95%2Fb5d975dd47ddbb2de3118bbea3ad%2Fdec-29-1929-caliente-crowd.jpg", "width": 1200, "height": 630, "type": "image/jpeg", "alt": "Dec-29-1929-Caliente-crowd.jpg"}, "description": "The Tijuana racetrack attracted celebrities from the start", "site_name": "San Diego Union-Tribune", "type": "article"}, "article": {"author": "https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-merrie-monteagudo-staff.html", "content_tier": "metered", "published_time": "2019-12-29T15:00:16.053", "section": "Local History"}, "twitter": {"card": "summary_large_image", "description": "The Tijuana racetrack attracted celebrities from the start", "image": {"identifier": "https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/7ebb1b2/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5426x3052+0+1958/resize/1200x675!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F5a%2F95%2Fb5d975dd47ddbb2de3118bbea3ad%2Fdec-29-1929-caliente-crowd.jpg", "alt": "Dec-29-1929-Caliente-crowd.jpg"}, "site": "@sdut", "title": "From the Archives: The Agua Caliente racetrack opened 90 years ago"}, "fb": {"app_id": 125832154430708}, "viewport": "width=device-width, initial-scale=1, maximum-scale=5", "description": "Agua Caliente racetrack at Tijuana opened Dec. 28, 1929", "brightspot.contentId": "0000016f-3537-d233-abef-bff7a30b0000", "brightspot.cached": "false"}, "canonical_link": "https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/local-history/story/2019-12-29/agua-caliente-racetrack-opened-90-years-ago"} |
