Arlington Downs

Arlington Downs was an American horse racing track located near Tarrant, Tarrant County, Texas. The $3 million facility, a 1¼-mile track with a 6,000-seat grandstand, opened on November 1, 1929, on land owned by oil and cattle magnate William T. Waggoner,^[1] located halfway between Dallas and Fort Worth.

Waggoner built the track in hopes that Parimutuel betting, illegal at the time of the track's opening, would become legalized and make the track a success. Waggoner and his sons Guy (1883-1950) and Paul (1889-1967) aggressively lobbied the Texas legislature campaigned for parimutuel betting at the track.

When two racegoers, O. O. Franklin and J. B. Coulter, were arrested at Arlington Downs in the fall of 1931 for openly betting on the races, the resulting publicity and court case allowed racing proponents to make their case public. In 1933, the Texas legislature legalized Parimutuel betting and issued the first permit to Arlington Downs.

The racetrack thrived as thoroughbred owners from across the country sent their horses to compete at Arlington Downs. During its first year of full operation with legal wagering, 650 horses ran on the track, profits averaged $113,731 a day, and the average daily attendance was 6,734. Waggoner died of stroke on December 11, 1934, and the racing industry lost one of its most fervent boosters. At the end of the 1937 regular session, the state legislature repealed the pari-mutuel laws and Arlington Downs was sold to commercial developers. The racetrack was used for rodeos and other events until 1958, when the buildings were razed.

In 1978 a Texas historical landmark was placed on the site.^[2]

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