The Meadows Racetrack and Casino
The Meadows Racetrack and Casino is a standardbred harness racing track and slot machine casino in North Strabane Township, Pennsylvania, United States, about southwest of Pittsburgh. It is owned by Gaming and Leisure Properties and operated by Penn National Gaming.
History
In November 1962, ground was broken for the first parimutuel horse racing track in Western Pennsylvania. The track opened on June 28, 1963 and was operated by the Washington Trotting Association.The Washington Trotting Association was purchased in February 1973 by a group including famous trainer/driver Delvin Miller. Miller's imprint still exists on the track today, with The Meadows most prestigious race bearing his name, and a statue of his famous sire Adios located at the track's entrance. In 2009, the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission erected a historical marker at The Meadows to note Miller's historic importance.
The Meadows introduced two significant technological advancements in 1983: Call-A-Bet and the Meadows Racing Network. Call-A-Bet allowed users to create individual wagering accounts and phone in wagers for races. In conjunction, the Meadows Racing Network telecast each day's live races and was distributed to local cable providers. The telecast also included a half-hour preview show hosted by track announcer Roger Huston. The track used a marketing campaign to promote the services with the slogan "Every 16 minutes the place goes crazy", alluding to the typically quick pace from race-to-race at harness tracks.
Pittsburgh lawyer Stuart A. Williams purchased the track in 1986, and subsequently sold it to England-based Ladbroke Group PLC in 1988. The company changed the name to Ladbroke at the Meadows and opened a series of off-track betting parlors named Ladbrokes. The first opened in New Castle, Pennsylvania, United States in June 1990. Locations followed in Greensburg, Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Harmar Township, Moon, and West Mifflin. The Greensburg location was closed in 2000 following the decline and eventual vacancy of the Greengate shopping mall at which it was located. The Johnstown, Pennsylvania location was later sold to the Penn National Gaming corporation in July 1998. All other locations currently remain operational.
Magna Entertainment Corp leased the track from Ladbroke in 2001. Magna transformed Call-A-Bet into Xpressbet, an internet and telephone based wagering service that allowed users to not only wager on The Meadows, but also on numerous other tracks owned by Magna or with whom a business agreement was in place. Xpressbet later expanded its operation to over 300 tracks. The Meadows was also featured on HRTV, a cable television station part-owned by Magna. The OTB names were changed to "The Meadows-location". Another Greensburg OTB location was opened in 2004 but closed in 2007. The Meadows-West Mifflin also closed it doors in April 2012.
Las Vegas based Cannery Casino Resorts purchased the track in July 2006. Magna was retained to operate the track under a five-year management contract.
In December 2007 Crown Limited, an Australian company, agreed to purchase both Cannery's casino assets as well as The Meadows. However, in March 2009 Crown backed out of the deal.
In May 2014, Cannery agreed to sell The Meadows to Gaming and Leisure Properties Inc. for $465 million. GLPI said that it would retain ownership of the real estate, while a third-party company would operate the facility. The price was reduced to $440 million, after GLPI filed a lawsuit accusing Cannery of misleading them about the property's financial performance. The sale was completed in September 2016, with Pinnacle Entertainment buying the operating business from GLPI for $138 million and leasing the property for $25 million per year.
Horse racing was suspended at the racetrack in late January 2018 and 190 horses and five barns placed under quarantine after the virus EHV-1, was detected. Racing resumed again less than a month later.
Penn National Gaming acquired the operations of The Meadows in October 2018 as part of the acquisition of Pinnacle.
Casino
Legislation passed in the state of Pennsylvania in July 2004 included The Meadows among the locations slated to obtain a gambling license for slot machines. The legislation upheld a 2005 legal challenge by gambling opponents, and on September 27, 2006, The Meadows was awarded a gaming license by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.On November 16, 2006, The Meadows broke ground on construction. Plans called for initial construction of a temporary casino adjacent to the track, which opened on June 11, 2007.
On September 5, 2007, a ceremony was held to mark the beginning of the grandstand removal, which was necessary to clear space for the permanent casino. The permanent casino opened on April 15, 2009; the temporary building was also closed on this date. Amenities include a casino, food court, cafe restaurant, premier steakhouse with view of the race track, covered grandstand, simulcast viewing area, VIP boxes, and a 24 lane state-of-the-art bowling center. The Meadows features over 3,300 slot machines.
On July 6, 2010, The Meadows Casino hosted an "invite only test date" for casino table games. The test runs were successful, and at 6 AM on July 8, 2010, the table games opened to the general public. The chips used by the Meadows Casino are RFID chips containing a microchip that identifies them as legitimate. This measure prevents counterfeit chips from entering into the play area.
On October 2, 2019, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board approved a sports betting license for The Meadows Racetrack & Casino, which will also offer online sports betting in partnership with DraftKings. A soft opening for the sportsbook occurred on October 8, 2019, with the grand opening on October 10, 2019 featuring former Pittsburgh professional athletes in attendance for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. The DraftKings online sportsbook launched on November 4, 2019.
Physical Attributes
The race track is a 5/8 mile oval. As the standard harness race distance is one mile, races start on the backstretch and proceed through three turns.The original track surface was made of Tartan track, a synthetic material manufactured by 3M. As problems with Tartan surfaces began to emerge, the surface was changed to a more traditional stone dust.
The track has no hub rail. The stretch is 566 feet in length, and 80 feet in width. There is an inside passing lane in the stretch, referred to as the Lightning Lane.
Racing
Unlike many other tracks in the United States, The Meadows conducts racing year round, with over 200 days of the year featuring live racing. The specific days that the track conducts live racing vary throughout the year. Racing is conducted primarily on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Saturday afternoons with first race post time at 1:00pm eastern.Races are conducted with a maximum of nine starters on the gate; horses in post 10 start from the second tier.
Current stakes races
- Delvin Miller Adios Pace for the Orchids: August, part of Grand Circuit week. The Meadows signature event, the Adios is a prestigious race for 3 year old open pacers. It has been raced every year since 1967. The 2008 running was held at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs due to ongoing construction at the Meadows.
- Adioo Volo: August, part of Grand Circuit week. The female equivalent of the Adios, the Adioo Volo is conducted for 3 year old filly pacers. It has been raced every year since 1972. The 2008 running was held at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs due to ongoing construction at the Meadows.
- Arden Downs: August, part of Grand Circuit week. 2 year old filly pace, filly trot, colt/gelding trot have been run every year since 1957; 3 year old filly trot, colt/gelding trot have been run every year since 1958.
- Currier & Ives: May, June. three-year-old open trot, three-year-old filly trot have been run every year since 1975.
- Pennsylvania Sire Stakes: Various dates May through September. All combinations of two- and three-year-old, colt/gelding and filly, trotter and pacer.
- Pennsylvania Fair Finals: October. All combinations of two- and three-year-old, colt/gelding and filly, trotter and pacer.
- Keystone Classic: October. All combinations of two- and three-year-old, colt/gelding and filly, trotter and pacer.
Past Stakes Races
- The Messenger Stakes: 1995-2003. Traditionally run at Roosevelt Raceway, The Messenger is the final leg of the three-year-old Pacing Triple Crown. In the nine years the event was run at The Meadows, three horses captured the Triple Crown: Western Dreamer, Blissfull Hall, and No Pan Intended.
- The John Simpson, Sr. Memorial Stakes, 1963-1967: "The Super Bowl" two-year-old colt trot, "The Bret Hanover" two-year-old colt pace, "The Ayres" three-year-old colt trot, and "The Albatross" three-year-old colt pace.
- Pacing Classic Final: 1997. Open pacing event has been run every year since 1997. Race is conducted at various distances, all longer than the standard mile, and at a different track each year. The Meadows hosted the inaugural version of the race at 1-1/4 miles.
- Classic Distaff Final: 1998. Filly and mare pacing event has been run every year since 1997. Race is conducted at various distances, all longer than the standard mile, and at a different track each year. The Meadows version of the race was held at 1-1/4 miles.
- Classic Oaks Final: 1999. Filly and mare trotting event has been run every year since 1997. Race is conducted at various distances, all longer than the standard mile, and at a different track each year. The Meadows version of the race was held at 1-1/4 miles.
- The Lady Maud: 2001-2003. Traditionally run at Yonkers Raceway, this three-year-old filly pacing event has been run every year since 1960.