Early History
Arriving from Kentucky with only $19 to his name, Frank Vessels Sr. built a fortune in the construction industry, and eventually purchased a 435-acre (1.76 km2) ranch in Orange County. Racing at what is today Los Alamitos started off as match races contested on the Vessels Ranch in 1947.
The first pari-mutual meet at Los Alamitos was held in 1951. The meet lasted 11 days, closing on 15 December. It rained for ten of the eleven days of the inaugural meet. Frank Vessels and his family spent many hours during this first meet repairing rain-induced damage to the racecourse. The closing night festivities featured a world record performance by the mare Bart B S in the Miss Princess Handicap. She covered the 400 yards in a time of :20.3.
Following the first meet, Mr. Vessels sank $100,000 of his personal funds into improvements at the track and lobbied the California Horse Racing Board for a total of 16 days of racing, which he was granted. The 1952 season saw financial success as business doubled over the initial meet.
Read more about this topic: Los Alamitos Race Course
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