Hippodrome de Montreal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Hippodrome de Montreal is best known under its original name of Blue Bonnets Raceway as a horse racing facility in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
In 1872 the Blue Bonnets racetrack for Thoroughbred horse racing was located in Ville Saint-Pierre. In 1905 John F. Ryan founded the Jockey Club of Montreal, and on June 4, 1907 the Club opened the new Blue Bonnets Raceway on Decarie Boulevard. Montagu Allan was president of Blue Bonnets Raceway from 1907 until 1920 when he was succeeded by J. K. L. Ross, owner of Sir Barton, the first Thoroughbred to win the U.S. Triple Crown.
As part of a program honouring important horse racing tracks and racing stables, the Pennsylvania Railroad named its baggage car #5801 the "Blue Bonnets".
In 1932, Joseph Cattarinich, Leo Dandurand, and Louis Letourneau purchased Blue Bonnets Raceway. 1943 marked the first appearance of harness racing and in 1954 Thoroughbred flat racing ended.
In 1958 Jean-Louis Levesque purchased Blue Bonnets, built a new multi-million dollar clubhouse, and in 1961 brought back Thoroughbred flat racing. In 1965, Paul Desmarais' Power Corporation of Canada acquired control of Blue Bonnets. In 1970, Robert Campeau's company acquired the facility. New owners took over in 1973 and put an end to Thoroughbred racing.
In financial difficulty, in 1991 a municipal government corporation, Société d’habitation et de développement de Montréal (SHDM), acquired the Blue Bonnets facility. In 1995 the Blue Bonnets name disappeared and it was renamed Hippodrome de Montreal. It is now operated by the government of the Province of Quebec agency SONACC (Societe nationale du cheval de course) and is an all-purpose racetrack that includes live harness racing, intertrack wagering from racetracks in the United States, and off-track betting parlours. The facility has two restaurants along with hundreds of video lottery terminals and slot machines.
Presidents of Blue Bonnets Raceway and their term of service:
- H. Montagu Allan (1907-1920)
- J. K. L. Ross (1920-1931)
- Kenneth Thomas Dawes (1931-1933)
- Joseph Cattarinich (1933-1938)
- J.-Eugene Lajoie (1938-1939)
- Louis Letourneau (1939-1942)
- J. Eugene Lajoie (1942-1958)
- Jean-Louis Levesque (1958-1970)
- Raymond Lemay (1970-1973)
- Alban Cadieux (1973-1983)
- Andre Marier (1983-1994)
- Gilbert l'Heureux (1994-1995)
- Jacques Brulotte (1995-2000)
- Richard Castonguay (2000–present)
The Hippodrome de Montreal's days may be numbered in its current location. Plans call for it to be relocated outside Montreal and for new housing to rise on the present site.
