Race tracks that are gone

[senator L]

In the late 80's early 90's I worked across Woodbine Racetrack at a restaurant called JJ Muggs. Lots of people from the track drank and ate there, they were
known as "trackies" One guy I worked with was well versed in handicapping and after lunch we would walk across and try and make them into bigger tips.
He could answer any question I could throw at him and taught me how to read the DRF and how to handicap a race. He was surprised at how many horses I knew about because I use to love watching Wide World of sports and their coverage of horse racing. One night he says I got a horse that "can't lose" it is running at Greenwood. Where is Greenwood I ask. It is right on Lake Ontario just east of downtown and it was the original "Woodbine". A much smaller track
7/8's and now they just ran when Woodbine shut its doors for the winter. Having now been at Woodbine numerous times, I had an idea of what it would be like - how wrong could I be. I remember seeing a giant tree in the infield
but there were no leaves. It was a lot smaller than Woodbine and there seemed to be way more people and lots of drunk people too. And the smoke! You could have cut it with a chain-saw and I smoked myself. No one really sat unless you went outside. So my friend is still talking about this sprinter Senator L, that can't lose. He was ml fav at 6-5 so I understood that he was good, I think he ended up finishing 3rd at 1-2. Buddy, says how much did you lose? Everything I said. What do you mean - everything? I said everything, my paycheck, you said he wouldn't lose. WHAT, you bet your paycheck? I didn't tell you to be your paycheck, I can't pay that back, you don't bet your check on a 1-2 shot. So that was my introduction to Greenwood racetrack, downtown and right on the lake. My favorite track.
More "real" people there than anyplace in the world. It closed a few years later and became a housing development. They kept a large otb there but that too is now shrinking.