Rockingham Park

Rockingham Park is a horse racing establishment in Salem, New Hampshire, in the United States. First built in 1906, it was used as an area for many to gamble on the weekends. Seabiscuit raced there in 1935 and 1936,Champions: The Lives, Times, and Past Performances of America's Greatest Thoroughbreds (New York, NY: Daily Racing Form Press, 2005) 65, 66. and Mom's Command ran in her first race and gained her first victory there in 1984.Ibid., 334. Rockingham Park now only hosts standardbred races. Rockingham Park was the first place to receive car gates for starting races in 1998.

The New Hampshire Sweepstakes (now New Hampshire Lottery) was originated in 1964 and raced here from 1964 to 1967. The race was brought back in 1984 (though not connected with sweepstakes tickets) and has since been the feature event of the summer racing meet.

"The Finest Racecourse in the World"

On June 28, 1906, a tiny outpost near the Salem train depot began a 21-day tenure as host to a Thoroughbred meet. Over 10,000 people from as far away as Boston, Rhode Island, and New York flocked to the small New Hampshire town. Their rave reviews proclaimed the site "the finest racecourse in the world". Although Alyth, a two-year-old, won the first thoroughbred race at the site, gambling was still illegal at the time in New Hampshire, and betting was shut down after three days. Underground wagering...
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