Fleetwood Park was a 19th-century harness racing (trotting) track in what is now the Morrisania section of the Bronx in New York, United States.

Robert Bonner, owner and publisher of the New York Ledger, was a member, as was his brother David, who at one time served as president.

For most of its history, the track failed to turn a profit, the shortfall being made up annually from financial assessments of the membership.

Economic pressures forced the track to close in 1898, and within two years the property was being subdivided into residential building lots.

[3]: 705  The covered grandstand,[4] clubhouse, judges' stand, and other buildings were clustered along the southwest corner of the track, adjacent to Sheridan Avenue.

[4] Valentine's Manual described the park as "the broad acres of that well-known rendezvous of all lovers of the turf";[5] the New York Times variously described the track as "oddly-shaped"[6] and "queer-shaped".

In 1888, a winter carnival was set up, with toboggan slides, lighting, and music;[11] on other occasions, pigeon shooting contests involving live birds and shotguns were held.

[18] In an 1881 study of the geology of the region, J. D. Dana described Fleetwood Park as "low and nearly flat, except its western side"[19]: 440  and theorized this (along with other features of the area) was caused by limestone belts which were subject to easy erosion.

[29][30] In 1855, the Harlem Railroad Company was also using the name "Fleetwood" in reference to a new rail station they were considering building in the area.

[26]: 418, Fleetwood In 1870, William Morris leased part of his estate to two brothers, Henry and Philip Dater,[4][2] for a 20-year term.

[38] Pressure[discuss] from real-estate developers[4] led to the track being closed the next year with the last meeting held on October 8, 1897.

[4][3]: 705  By the end of that month, the New York Driving Club had met to consider building a new track, two possible locations being discussed.

The other site, with 77.7 acres (31.4 ha), was about 2 miles (3.2 km) closer to the city, along the Bronx and Pelham Parkway, not far from the Morris Park track.

[40][41][42] Alfred De Cordova, who had been elected president, stated:[40] We intend to give the new city a driving track that will be a credit to it.

[44][45] Dirt from the old track was used to grade and fill the private park being installed by Andrew Carnegie for the new Fifth Avenue residence he was building in Manhattan.

It was intended to be used for trotters (sulkies, ridden horses, and bicycles were all prohibited), and built in lieu of previously approved plans for a trotting track in Central Park.

In 1997, the New York Times described the speedway as:[47] ... a $5 million bread-and-circuses project built to serve both the rich – who wanted a racing ground for their fast trotters – and the not-so-rich, who were supposed to watch.Several years earlier, Robert Bonner had written:[8]: 166 Interest in trotting has not fallen off but owners of horses remain away from Fleetwood because the streets and roads leading to the place are bad and hard on the animals.

[49] By August 1900, the clubhouse was the only structure left standing, and the Union Republican Club considered moving the building to their newly purchased property on 164th Street.

In 1994, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated this block the Clay Avenue Historic District.

[55][56] Improvements in preparation for the track's first Grand Circuit meeting included upgrading the grandstand, painting fences, trimming foliage, and enlarging the band stand.

[3]: 705  Robert's younger brother, David,[60]: 339  was also a member of the New York Driving Club and at one time served as its president.

[61][62][note 1] Five years later, he purchased Sunol from Leland Stanford for an unknown price only disclosed as being higher than that of Maud S.[63] Other notable attendees included former US president Ulysses S. Grant,[64] who sometimes also drove horses at the track.

[65] Modern-day Grant Avenue, named after the president, bisects the old racecourse; the track crossed it at what is now East 164th Street.

[67][68] Alix (1888–1901), known as the "Queen of the Turf", was the world trotting champion for six years,[69][70] and Directum (1889–1909) at one time held the record for fastest heat by a four-year-old.

[79][note 1] Charter Oak Park, a Grand Circuit harness racing track in Hartford, Connecticut, had opened in 1873.

This combination will result in one of the grandest trotting meetings ever held in the world, and it will certainly surpass anything New York has ever before been treated to.Two weeks later editor Joseph Simpson explained in the same publication:[87] Several of the State Legislatures have recently manifested an inclination to abolish racing in all its forms, because of the abuses to which it had been subject.

In Connecticut the feeling became so powerful that the Legislature absolutely prohibited any public contests of skill or speed in which a premium is awarded.