Fairmount Park Race Track
Located just outside St Louis in Collinsville, IL, Fairmount Park opened its doors in 1925 and is the only Illinois racetrack located outside the Chicago area. Fairmount currently holds its live racing meet from late April to early September with race cards held three days per week on Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday. The track was also once home to Standardbred harness racing, but discontinued that endeavor in 1999.
Fairmount Park Track Layout
The racing surface at Fairmount is a standard one mile conventional dirt oval consisting of a clay and sand mixture. A chute, located on each side of the track, accommodates six furlong and mile and a quarter races. The home stretch is approximately 1050 feet long and 75 feet wide. The grand stand seats 2,198 people. There is no turf course.
Major Races and Events
Fairmount was once home to the Fairmount Derby which was later renamed the St. Louis Derby. While the race held some significance, it was run sporadically after its inception in 1926, sometimes experiencing gaps lasting more than a decade between runnings. Nonetheless, the race continues to hold a place in history with star Lawyer Ron winning the last St Louis Derby in 2006. 1986 champion sprinter Smile won the race in 1985 and 1927 Kentucky Derby winner Whiskery won the Fairmount Derby that same year. Big Pistol won in 1984 after winning the Grade I Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park.
Illinois-bred Stakes Day
In recent years at Fairmount, the track usually boasts a single day of Illinois-bred stakes racing as the pinnacle of its racing season. These races include the Pete Condelone Memorial, the Bungalow Stakes, the Troy’s Our Boy Stakes, the All Sold Out Stakes, and the Tex’s Zing Stakes. The Troy’s Our Boy and All Sold Out were races restricted to two-year olds.