Relic (Abandoned Phoenix Trotting Park)
 

The Phoenix Trotting Park, a horse racing track, was originally built in 1964 in Goodyear, Arizona. It opened in 1965 and was run for about two and a half seasons. The large, futuristically designed structure gave an optimistic look for the 1960s.

Originally planned to be built for a cost of about $3 million, the facility ended up costing around $10 million. Various incentives during the events that were held, such as free parking and admission did initially lead to decent attendance. However, a variety of factors led to the inevitable closing of the track. The hot weather of the desert caused events to be uncomfortable to attendees. The location provided limited means to control rain, leading to floods that caused accessibility problems. The park is also located about 20 miles outside of Phoenix and was built long before any major roads made the area easily accessible to those in the city or its suburbs.

The main building of the park was used in the 1998 Charlie/Martin Sheen movie No Code of Conduct. Part of the feature involved a large explosion occurring at the track. Despite the original assurances by the production staff that no animals would be injured, hundreds of the birds occupying the abandoned structure were killed and injured when the effect went off.

Panasonic DMC-GH2
Lumix 14-140mm and 20mm lenses
Gitzo GT1830 tripod
Manfrotto 701HDV head

Re: Relic (Abandoned Phoenix Trotting Park)
 

Thanks for making this video. I've driven past there countless times and always wanted to go inside. Now I don't have to. I forwarded this to a bunch of friends and family that live in AZ. They thought it was uber cool. Good job.

Evan

Re: Relic (Abandoned Phoenix Trotting Park)
 

Really cool stuff, Dan. Well done. The camera can shoot some great looking footage! Loved your pans!

Re: Relic (Abandoned Phoenix Trotting Park)
 

Thank you for the good words Evan. I'm happy you and your friends enjoyed the project.

Like you, I've been driving past the structure for 30 years, and couldn't resist a closer look.

Re: Relic (Abandoned Phoenix Trotting Park)
 

Thank you for the encouragement Jeff. The GH2 is a constant performer. Some of the interior was shot at ISO 3200 with the Lumix 14-140 and not a hint of noise. I'm still getting over the days of anything over ISO 1250 with the Canon 7D being unuseable.

Thanks for watching.