Eddie D. Goes to the Mall !
Randall Park LogoRandall Park was located in North Randall, about eleven miles from the center of Cleveland. It was a one mile dirt oval with a seven furlong turf course inside of that. It featured an open air grandstand and clubhouse, with the grandstand seating 5,500 and the clubhouse an additional 2,000. The track had stables for 650 horses. Randle completed a circuit with Thistledown's which was across the street and Cranwood which was less than a mile away.
Randall Park started out as a trotting track in 1908. The track had several ownership changes over the years and did not really become popular till after World War II. In 1943 the track hosted both Standardbred and Thoroughbred racing. After another ownership change it became strictly a runner track.
The track was finally purchased by Edward DeBartolo who also purchased nearby Thistledown Race Track and decided to transfer Randall Parks dates there. Once that was done the Randall Park land was re-classified commercial and was turned into a shopping center they weren't quite called malls yet.
Buckeye HandicapOver forty years ago rather than make state ordered improvements, Randall Park was shuttered and sold. During it's run it was home to Ohio's richest race The Buckeye Handicap, it was also the original home of The Ohio Derby. Randall Park and Thistledown's were basically across the street from each other.
Randall Park, was the first track in Ohio to eclipse a million dollar handle, on Labor Day of 1953.
I never saw a race there or even the track itself, but I was kinda there. When I visited Thistledown's I took my dog across the street from the parking lot and although I didn't realize it at the time but that abandoned mall was the site of Randall Park.