"It was a life of routine, long hours, modest pay and dirty, exhausting physical work, but for those who worked with horses, it brought its own form of fulfilment, and most had trouble imagining doing anything else. They, too, dispersed in the wake of Hippodrome de Montréal’s closing. Now, it’s as if they were never there."
Paul Delean revisits the site of the now-defunct Hippodrome de Montréal and recounts the days when Blue Bonnets was bustling with harness racing in an article in the Montreal Gazette. Horse racing was last held six years ago at the property, which has been earmarked for a housing development that is currently stalled.
To read the complete Montreal Gazette article and view photos of the racetrack today by Ann MacNeill, click here.
(With files from the Montreal Gazette)
I always went to montreal
I always went to montreal several times per year thru the 70's, 80's and 90's. When there i always went to blue bonnets every night i could. I loved the atmosphere of the place and me and my friends liked having a few cool ones and a few laughs when we were playing the ponies. When blue bonnets finally closed the trips to montreal were never quite the same. It is a shame to see it in its current run down state. Montreal used to be one of the power tracks in north america but those days have long since past.
Hi Everyone, I am a huge
Hi Everyone, I am a huge harness race fan , but to all those blaming the government or the casinos, remember something important , the government always follow the people. Unfortunately horse racing is just not popular anymore. Is it the government's fault that Boxing is no longer popular.
The people are speaking ( and yes it is sad - I love handicapping more than playing texas holdem -) However takeout and human influence have killed horse racing . I love betting on a horse and then watching the driver and trainer take a week off ! As far as I know the river card is always turned - no day off .
Pathetic. Loto Quebec, with
Pathetic. Loto Quebec, with the provincial government simply stole our industry. Horse racing was doing pretty good in the 70's and 80's. After that...bye-bye bonsoir nous sommes parti !!!. Here are Loto Quebec annual sales...in the 70's / $3 millions...in the 80's / $30 millions...in the 90's / $300 millions ... since 2000 / $3 billions Numbers talk by themself
Very sad to see a place that
Very sad to see a place that provided so much happiness now really just
a dump. Really don't know what happened. Peter Litwin
I most certainly agree with
I most certainly agree with Karen and Ron "Those were the good old days" and it sure ruined a lot of good HORSEMEN when they, the government closed it .it just shows us once again that our TAX DOLLARS are still very BADLY MANAGED,and that the GREED of some people,(THE CASINO DE MONTREAL)(???)has and will continue to ruin a lot of people, what a farce.
Painful indeed. The decline
Painful indeed. The decline and fall of Blue Bonnets/Hippodrome de Montreal was a classic twenty year series of lessons on how to not run a business. Yet, the monstrous plant would not be sustainable in today's racing landscape. Still, had the Quebec Government put the Montreal Casino at the site, and with better management and vision, maybe, it would be operating and thriving today. We'll never know.
It is so painful to see the
It is so painful to see the photos. It was a privilege to race there, Those were to "good old days".