Portland Meadows is a charming track in Portland, Oregon. 

The incessant rains of the Pacific Northwest had temporarily let up and the temperature looked like it would hit a balmy 50 degrees. Gray skies and “warm” weather meant one thing! It was a great day for me to head to Portland Meadows for their 2015 Closing Day.

Grab a jacket and your fedora and you are perfectly dressed for the day. I love visiting Portland Meadows. It is such an easy track to enjoy. Parking is free. Admission is free. There is a bounty of clean picnic tables spread across the track’s apron for you and your friends to use as your own betting center. If you prefer to be upstairs out of the elements, there is a bevy of tables each with a simulcast TV. Want to run downstairs to check out the horses as they are saddled? It will take about 30 seconds to jog down the stairs and catch them as they walk out to the track. After the call of “Riders Up!” the jockeys leave the rotunda. Several reach up and tap the hand drawn “Good Luck” sign on the beam above them as they pass. 

Portland Meadows is a regional track located in Portland, Oregon and it has a rich history in horse racing. It was built “under the direction of William P. Kyne” who also designed Bay Meadows and opened on September 14, 1945 with 10,000 people in attendance. I can’t find any photos from Opening Day but I have mused that it must have been fascinating. No doubt it was a much welcomed relief for some at the end of World War II and offered employment for others. Portland Meadow’s website states that it “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.” I always think of this as I visit tracks across the nation and nod my head thinking “We were the first!”

Unfortunately, as with several other tracks, the original grandstands were destroyed in a fire in 1970 but was quickly rebuilt and reopened in 1971. Gary Stevens raced here and spent two seasons as the leading rider. Bill Shoemaker also rode Present Value to win the first $100,000 stakes race. Many well-known jockeys, trainers, breeders of note and personalities (including Jim Rome) have either visited or raced at Portland Meadows. It features both Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing. 

Minutes off the freeway, this is a very accessible track. It honestly takes mere seconds to park your car and walk from the parking lot to the rail. Look up as you walk by and you will see the iconic neon horse and jockey galloping on the outside wall. Neatly pruned rose bushes sit waiting for spring. Shrubs are planted in heavy duty metal horse troughs. It’s a nice touch. 

Once you walk through the door, you are greeted with a joyful collection of art. Every single inch of the entry way is covered with paintings and prints featuring equines and jockeys. Even though I am trotting to the track to catch the first race, I am absolutely compelled to stop and look at the art on the walls. It’s a magnificent collection and a testament to the brilliant rebranding of the track requested by General Manager William Alempijevic from local ad studio OMFGCo (Original Manufacturing Company). OMFGCo is well known for their style which blends history and vintage typography with a young hip trendy vibe. The collaboration which began in 2012 was immediately noticeable as Portland Meadow’s presence was highlighted city wide on buses and billboards. I became a stalker as I traversed the city photographing the billboards. 

THE PORTLAND MEADOWS ART

For closing day, I was there to cheer on Kentucky-bred Prince Novetti in the first race. Owned by William Lyons and trained by Kendra McAllister, he ran a hard fought battle to the finish line and Prince Novetti begrudgingly gave up second by a nose to Murray the Cop. There were 76 horses scheduled to race and they hailed from all over the United States; Kentucky, Oregon, Washington, California, Florida, Iowa, and Texas. Looking at them, I noted homebreds and offspring from stallions such as Tapit, Grindstone (1996 Kentucky Derby winner), Lawyer Ron, Invasor, Singletary, Forestry, Bertrando and many more. Each carrying their connections dreams as they approached the starting gate. Some of them were chewing on their ponies. Some were as cool and professional as war horses. Some swung their heads to stare at the grandstands as their jockeys ran their hand up and down their manes in a soothing manner.

There is a lot to love about Portland Meadows. It’s quirky. It’s the only race track in the United States that had a 9-hole golf course in the infield. It’s beautiful. With flocks of geese flying formations overhead, the majestic Mt. Hood peaks through the clouds. It’s pleasant. The cashier at the food booth was very friendly and urged me to try to chocolate covered barley from the recent Oregon Craft Beer Fest (Note – they were great!). It’s exciting. Comments from the crowd float through the air. “I have a good feeling about this one!” “My horse is the number 4!” “Did you win anything?” “Yes, $19.50. So lunch is on me!” Fashion is pure Northwest eclectic. Jeans are prevalent. So are sweater jackets, fleece, fedoras, flannel shirts, boots and denim jackets. It is a hip vibe.  If you need to warm up, there are always tables waiting for you inside, a short walk from the rail. 

HANDICAPPING ON THE APRON

I discovered a wonderful series of horse portraits that were commissioned by Portland Meadows and OMFGCo from local artist John Fisher. He said on his Facebook page that “It was his first venture into the equine world. It was a great joy to paint such beautiful creatures.” Each portrait has been featured throughout Portland Meadow’s ad campaigns. I found the portraits delightful and was thrilled to discover that one of the featured horses (EverydayImhustling) was racing in the fourth race. 

I headed to the rotunda to check him out and watch the horses before they were saddled. I met Mrs. Harwood and admired her very cool equestrian earrings. She had two horses in the fourth race with her husband, and trainer, Dr. Ryland Harwood. She told me it is “a lot of work to have two horses in one race!” I followed the crowd outside for the post parade. The Harwood horses looked like contenders. But EverydayImhustlin is indeed a hustler. The official chart says that he was “bumped at the start, and went to the lead, battled three across the track in the lane and turned away those foes.”  His win was a crowd favorite. I was also thrilled that the Harwood horses took second and third. 

EVERYDAYIMHUSTLIN'S PORTRAIT

I love to prowl antique stores throughout the area looking for vintage win photos from Portland Meadows. I recently found two treasures. The first photo features Pic-A-Lass winning the fourth race on July 11^th, 1957. She is alone in flight at the finish line with the starting gate draft horses parked behind her; their heads turned as they watch her. Her jockey L. Knowles has his head tucked neatly into her shoulder and later his handsome chiseled features barely smile in the winner’s circle for the camera. There are two adorable towhead children beaming as they stare at him and Pic-A-Lass.

PIC-A-LASS'S WINNING RUN

The reason why I bought the photo is because of the middle aged woman with a white streak forging its way through her dark hair. Standing proudly, all dressed up with her pearl necklace and a fur that casually drapes across her shoulders; her smile is as proud as any connection in today’s winner’s circle. She reaches across time. I found her again in a June 1^st, 1962 photo featuring Package Money who won the seventh race. The connections could have come straight from Central Casting for a horse movie. With a very young looking jockey Clifford Bolcom (who went on to be a trainer at Emerald Downs); and a handsome groom in a white cowboy hat with dark sunglasses, the connections seemed slightly dazed that they won. But my “friend” with the white streak in her hair is standing tall in her two toned heels, holding her pocket book and program while grinning at the camera.

I thought of this lady and her friends from long ago as the days connections gathered in the winner’s circle. There was much cheering when jockey Jennifer Whitaker sat chilly on the back of War Wizard as he glided to the finish line. It was poetry in motion and the first of Ms. Whitaker’s three consecutive wins that day. The connections assembled to smile as generations before them have done. 

JENNIFER WHITAKER AND WAR WIZARD AFTER THEIR VICTORY

I have been researching the folks in the old photos and discovered the owner of Pic-A-Lass was Vernon Swenson. During my research, I found an obituary for Mr. Swenson from January 2014. It must be him because it said “Vernon found great joy and contentment raising, breaking and training Thoroughbred racehorses, but was most happy when he could get a good price on a winner. He loved to take his horses to the California Fair Circuit, Portland Meadows and Phoenix to race.” I am not sure which of the three gentlemen he is the photograph but I am glad that I own a photo of him doing what he loved.

Digging further into Portland Meadows history, I discovered the ECONorthwest report “Portland Meadows, County Fair Meets and the Horse Racing Industry in Oregon: Impacts on Rural and Urban Economies in 2010” which was prepared for the entire horse racing industry in Oregon.

Published in 2012, the study is filled with some fascinating facts to know about Portland Meadows and horse racing. For example, Portland Meadows was responsible for $6.4 million in labor income and 176 jobs. That the “elements comprising Oregon’s horse racing industry contributed more than $202.6 million in output to Oregon’s economy.” It’s a great report outlining the value of racing. Documents like this are extremely important to have, especially in today’s day and age when we have lost so many tracks such as Hollywood Park and Bay Meadows. There are always threats from land development companies and one simply can’t ignore them. 

Horse racing is far more than one realizes. It supports an entire industry beyond the race track. It nurtures the dreams of those who sit at night perusing  bloodlines hoping to breed the next Derby winner. It provides a living for the hard workers who rise long before dawn. The track not only provides entertainment for the young and old, it provides a place to watch racing history in the making. I always feel it’s an honor to spend a day at the track. I like to think about the folks who are in my vintage race photos when I grab the rail and cheer the horses onto the finish line. We never met but we are connected through time by our love of horses. I am grateful to have a local track as wonderful as Portland Meadows to visit. It’s a trip worth making, rain or shine!