186:, the racetrack broke several records in its inaugural season, including opening night attendance (12,000), total mutual handle ($ 3,703,949), and highest attendance (16,000). The owners hosted the Howard County Fair on the grounds in 1948 and 1949 which allowed an exception in post-war rationing of roofing materials that were restricted for agricultural uses only. The fair featured "The Great Zacchinni" human cannonball act. The owners of Freestate decided to increase the purse money, the number of seats, and several other things to greatly improve the racetrack for the 1949 season.
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clubhouse. The racetrack was estimated to be in $ 6 million in debt in 1979, and in the same year, Joseph Shamy was arrested in 1979 for "raiding the track's treasury to pay personal debts." Shamy was convicted of racketeering and embezzling $ 1.2 million from the track which defaulted on a $ 4.5 million loan from the
National Bank of Washington and payments to riders.
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to lower the tax on the track's handle. Starting in 1982, Freestate
Raceway began to host the Potomac Stakes, Maryland's most successful race. Each time this race happened, the attendance and handle rose dramatically; in 1984, a record $ 1,094,054 was wagered on the night of that race. In his first
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Operations at the track ended in 1975, followed by a fire that destroyed the clubhouse and grandstand in March 1976. Hutchingson's son, Dick
Hutchingson, Jr., sold the racetrack to Greta and Joseph Shamy in April 1976. Later, the Vice President of the track Mike Brown was indicted for arson at the
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was chosen for the Prince George's County license, and
Freestate was chosen for the Howard County one. Freestate was originally called Laurel Raceway from its opening to 1979. In 1948, Freestate Raceway began its first horse racing season. It was founded by Dick Hutchinson. Freestate was the first
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The following year Frank DeFrancis purchased the racetrack from
National Bank of Washington. The first thing DeFrancis did was change the name to Freestate Raceway. Before Freestates first meet under DeFrancis, he did a lot of work to track, including fixing up the grandstand, creating a driver's
212:, closed operations, and the race way given to Freestate for the remainder of Freestate's history. In 1989, DeFrancis died, and Freestate was sold to become an industrial park the following year. The park is a 320,000-square-foot shopping center with a grocery store and an adjacent
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lounge, and promoting under the slogan "Where Fun Comes in First". After losing money for the first few years, DeFrancis persuaded the
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Kevin
Leonard (7 August 2015). "Human cannonball was big attraction at Howard County Fairs held at Laurel Raceway".
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444:"Frank J. DeFrancis is Dead at 62; Frank J. DeFrancis Is Dead at 62; Lawyer and Horse-Racing Leader"
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In
September 1947, a meeting was held about bringing a harness racetrack to Maryland, specifically
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Rezendes, Michael (September 6, 1989). "Freestate
Raceway Is Sold for Planned Industrial Park".
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six years of operations, Freestate's average attendance increased from 4,477 to 5,453. In 1988,
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586:
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Nelson, Erik (January 12, 1992). "Raceway
Rezoned for Neighborhood Shopping Center".
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Austin, Dale (July 19, 1981). "Freestate Races to the Front in
Maryland Trotting".
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Nowakowski, Jack (July 21, 1990). "Rich Potomac Makes Debut at Rosecroft".
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Marrapese, Nancy (August 20, 1989). "Frank DeFrancis Dies at 62".
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Trilling, Michael (June 22, 1980). "Freestate Harness Starts Up".
278:"Richard Hutchison, 69, Founder, Former Owner of Laurel Raceway".
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368:"Md. Jury Indicts Ex-Executive for Racetrack Arson".
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618:Defunct horse racing venues in the United States
248:"Rosecroft Harness Race Season Opens Thursday".
485:"Freestate Raceway (Harness) Laurel, Maryland"
16:Defunct horse racing facility in Maryland, US
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593:Harness racing venues in the United States
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403:"Freestate at Laurel Prepares for Opener"
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140:. It opened in 1948 and closed in 1990.
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297:"Laurel Raceway – Freestate Raceway"
613:1990 disestablishments in Maryland
490:(Press release). Freestate Raceway
184:United States Trotting Association
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603:Defunct sports venues in Maryland
442:Fowler, Glenn (August 20, 1989).
333:"Fire Destroys Track Buildings".
237:. September 11, 1947. p. 11.
623:Sports venues demolished in 1990
383:"Laurel Harness Dates Revoked".
608:1948 establishments in Maryland
598:Horse racing venues in Maryland
513:. October 22, 1988. p. D9.
282:. August 28, 1987. p. B6.
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401:Johnson, Ted (May 8, 1980).
233:"Harness Race Hearing Set".
252:. May 22, 1949. p. S6.
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201:Maryland General Assembly
132:from 1948 to 1979) was a
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163:Prince George's County
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569:39.12889°N 76.82083°W
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38:Dick Hutchingson, Jr.
194:Freestate: 1980–1990
574:39.12889; -76.82083
565: /
526:The Washington Post
511:The Washington Post
509:"Messenger to Md".
471:The Washington Post
387:. 19 December 1979.
385:The Washington Post
372:. 1 September 1976.
355:The Washington Post
335:The Washington Post
280:The Washington Post
208:, which hosted the
182:. According to the
44:Greta, Joseph Shamy
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448:The New York Times
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541:The Baltimore Sun
320:The Baltimore Sun
265:The Baltimore Sun
250:The Baltimore Sun
235:The Baltimore Sun
206:Roosevelt Raceway
171:Rosecroft Raceway
157:Laurel: 1947–1979
126:Freestate Raceway
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20:Freestate Raceway
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50:Frank DeFrancis
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32:Dick Hutchinson
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267:. p. C14.
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178:wagering on a
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152:Harness racing
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130:Laurel Raceway
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35:(1948–unknown)
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407:Harness Horse
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492:. Retrieved
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301:. Retrieved
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216:dealership.
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180:harness race
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134:horse racing
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128:(originally
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87:Construction
79:Seating type
73:Standardbred
63:Horse racing
572: /
450:. p. 1
176:pari-mutuel
53:(1980–1989)
47:(1976–1979)
587:Categories
560:76°49′15″W
220:References
116:Demolished
82:Grandstand
557:39°7′44″N
136:track in
454:July 30,
138:Maryland
69:Genre(s)
494:May 26,
412:June 3,
303:May 25,
144:History
214:Carmax
108:Closed
100:Opened
488:(PDF)
92:Built
29:Owner
496:2012
456:2012
414:2012
305:2012
165:and
119:1990
111:1990
103:1948
95:1948
59:Type
589::
446:.
405:.
393:^
343:^
288:^
169:.
498:.
458:.
416:.
322:.
307:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
