Playfair Race Course (known as the Spokane Interstate Fair from 1901–1935) was the home of horse racing in Spokane, Washington, from 1901 The track started out as a four-furlong (half-mile) flat oval, and expanded to five furlongs () in 1946. The grandstand was on the west, with the home stretch heading south, and the stables were on the east side. The site's elevation is approximately above sea level.
The premier races run at the track were the Playfair Mile, Spokane Derby, and the Inland Empire Marathon. The final races were on and the track officially closed the following July.
Post-Closure Located in the East Central section of the city between Sprague Avenue and the railroad, the facility assets were auctioned in March 2004, and it was demolished shortly after.Thoroughbred Times - February 19, 2004 The site was bought by City of Spokane in 2004 for $6.3 million, with the intent of partnering with Spokane County for a new sewage treatment facility. The deal soured and was sold in 2009 to SCAFCO, a steel-framing manufacturer.
Now owned by SCAFCO/The Stone Group and known as Playfair Commerce Park, the site comprises eleven industrial lots. Large metal silhouettes of race horses mark the entrance to the park.
Ferris Field Ferris Field, a wooden baseball park, was adjacent to the parking lot west of the track. Built in 1936, it was the home of the minor league Spokane Indians through 1956, and was named for city attorney George M. Ferris, a former player and manager for the Indians (at Natatorium Park) who secured funding from the Works Progress Administration (WPA) to build it. The baseball diamond was aligned east, toward the horse track, resulting in challenging sun conditions for the fielders in the late afternoon and early evening.
A fire in late October 1948 damaged most of the Ferris grandstands, and it was rebuilt in steel in the spring of 1949. It hosted high school football in 1948 and 1949, between the condemnation of wooden Gonzaga Stadium and the opening of Spokane Memorial Stadium in 1950 (renamed Joe Albi Stadium in 1962).
Spokane went without minor league baseball in 1957; the new Triple-A Spokane Indians of the Pacific Coast League arrived in 1958 (formerly the Los Angeles Angels) and moved about a mile (1½ km) east to the new Fairgrounds Park (now Avista Stadium) on Havana Street.
Playfair Mile Winners Year Horse Jockey Trainer2000 Sunshine Scholar Larry Munoz Kim Wright1999 not run1998 1997 Che Meza Frank Best Fred Davis1996 not run1995 Ought to Burn Vince Graffagnini Kenneth Cheff1994 Native Rustler Vince Ward Richard Wright1993 Amber Jett Brett Pierce Chuck Findlay1992 Lincoln Logger Mark Hadley Gordon Platt1991 Crab Salad Larry Lacoursiere Ken Whitted1990 Chan's Dragon Jerry Pruitt Don Roberson1989 Nakeen Jose Corrales Jack Steiner1988 Native Act Jerry Pruitt Gary Olsen1987 Chan's Dragon Jerry Pruitt Don Roberson1986 Uncle Barrydown Jerry Pruitt 1985 Holme Run Kid Terry Motsenbacher 1984 Marlene's Boy Doug Moore Bill Stewart1983 Eagle Joe Akifumi Kato 1982 Grey Barbarian Todd Stephens Allan Morris1981 Idaho Tribe Ray Youngren 1980 Kam Tam Kan Terry Motsenbacher 1979 Charmhersweet Akifumi Kato 1978 Chief Yakima Jerry Pruitt 1977 Hyali Talk Akifumi Kato 1976 Cup Of Merc. Mike James 1975 Refusal Wendell Matt 1974 Mass Confusion Wendell Matt 1973 Ima Hitter Akifumi Kato 1972 Charity Line Jerry Taketa 1971 Fleet Ahead J. Hathaway 1970 Ruler's Whirl R. Jensen 1969 Ruler's Whirl F. Inda 1969 Turbulator D. Castle 1968 Uncle Georger Richard Wright 1967 Uncle Georger Richard Wright 1966 Sixpenny Lane Paul Frey 1965 Late Bet Fred Sheppard 1964 Current Account Joe Baze 1963 Smart Prince Lenny Knowles 1963 Tizza Doge E. DeAlba 1962 Cold Bay J. Palmer 1961 Aryess Gilbert Simonis 1960 Fleet Charge Carl Schilling 1959 1958 Collaborator 1948 Lighted Way
References
External links Playfair Commerce Park – About Horse Racing Tracks – Playfair Race Course 1952 Sanborn map showing the race track 1952 Sanborn map showing the ballpark