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Portland Meadows is an American horse racing venue in Portland, Oregon, owned by The Stronach Group since July 3, 2011 and previously owned by MI Developments Inc. (MID) 2001. Built by William P. Kyne, who also built Bay Meadows Racetrack in San Mateo, California, the facility opened on September 14, 1946. Beginning July 15, 2012, Portland Meadows will run the first ever Summer Meet at the track, racing Wednesday and Friday nights, and Sunday afternoons. The track hosts both American Quarter Horse racing and Thoroughbred horse races. Over the years, Portland Meadows has been the site of numerous outdoor music concerts and other forms of entertainment. The national high school cross country running championship, the Nike Cross Nationals, have been held at Portland Meadows since 2004. The grounds are in Hayden Meadows near the Columbia River and are above sea-level.〔 == Track history == In 1945, construction began of Portland Meadows on November 20, under the direction of William P. Kyne. Kyne is also known as the founder of Bay Meadows Racecourse and he was largely responsible for the passage of the 1933 law which legalized pari-mutuel wagering in California. On September 14, 1946, Portland Meadows opened with over 10,000 people in attendance. Portland Meadows made history as the first thoroughbred track in the nation to offer night-time racing. This was made possible by use of a lighting system designed by General Electric which has been said has enough power "to light a four-lane superhighway from Portland to Salem, a distance of 40 miles."〔(【引用サイトリンク】publisher=Portland Meadows )〕 In 1948, the track was closed due to the Vanport Flood. This flood destroyed the town of Vanport City, Oregon, and resulted in roughly $250,000 worth of damage to the track. Greyhound races were held at the track in 1956 only, from August until October, after the Multnomah Kennel Club (MKC) was evicted from Civic Stadium by the impending relocation of the Portland Beavers baseball team from Vaughn Street Park. The following year, MKC moved its races to a newly built track in Wood Village, named Fairview Park.〔 On April 25, 1970, a fire burnt the grandstand to the ground. Fortunately the blaze took no lives, human or equine, but it did end the meet. In 1971, the facilities was rebuilt and track reopened to a record crowd of 12,635.〔 In 1981, Gary Stevens begins a two season streak as the leading rider at Portland Meadows. Gary would go on to capture three Kentucky Derby victories, two Preakness Stakes victories, eight Breeder's Cup titles, entrance into the Hall of Fame and would play a significant role in the motion picture "Seabiscuit." In 1987, the Coors Portland Meadows Mile becomes the first $100,000 stakes race in Oregon history. Present Value, a horse ridden by Hall of Fame jockey William Shoemaker, captured the race and went on to retire with $1,153,853 in career earnings. Present Value still holds distinction as the richest horse to ever compete at Portland Meadows. In 1994, two-year-old champion Jumron begins to draw fans from across the Pacific Northwest. He went on to become the first horse to begin his career at Portland Meadows that raced in the Kentucky Derby. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Portland Meadows」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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