by Lynne Snierson, USTA Web Newsroom Correspondent

Salem, NH — Rockingham Park is officially on the market for real estate development, snuffing out the last glimmer of hope for live racing to ever return to the 110-year-old track.

President and General Manager Ed Callahan confirmed March 24 that the 120 remaining acres of the property has been listed with Newmark, Grubb, Knight and Frank, an international commercial broker. Last year, a local developer purchased a subdivided 50-acre parcel, which made up most of the stable area, and the barns, dormitories and other structures have already been demolished.

Rockingham Park, which opened in 1906 as a Thoroughbred track and introduced harness racing in 1912 with the Grand Circuit, switched from a Thoroughbred track only to a harness facility exclusively in 2003. But it had not offered any live racing since the conclusion of the 2009 Standardbred meet.

“This is really very sad. It’s the end of an era,” said Rick Kane, the director of racing at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono and Rockingham’s former racing secretary and racing director. “I remember going there in 1968 when my family was racing there. It was an exciting, vibrant place, with every barn filled.”

Horses like Greyhound, Nevele Pride, Fresh Yankee and local favorite Yankee Bambino competed there long ago. Although harness racing was revived at The Rock in the last decade, the track could not compete with increased casino competition in the other New England states.

The inability to get casino gambling legalized in New Hampshire, along with the dream of citing a destination casino on the grounds, over the last two decades sealed the track’s fate. Although a new bill was introduced in the State Senate this session, it was tabled as of press time. Even if the bill were to pass the upper chamber, it faced certain doom in the House of Representatives, which has defeated every piece of casino legislation brought to the floor in modern times.

In 2007, Millennium Gaming of Las Vegas bought an option to buy the track should enabling legislation be passed and it could acquire the license. Millennium co-owner and co-CEO William Wortman had unveiled plans for a proposed $750 million Rockingham Park casino project that depicted Thoroughbreds competing on the racetrack portion.

Nonetheless, the Standardbred horsemen had their hearts set on being included should the track come back to life.

“I think that even to this day people were holding out hope,” said Kane. “They loved racing at The Rock, especially on that one-mile track. This is a very sad and final chapter in Rockingham’s glorious history.”

Until the sale is finalized, which Callahan predicted could take up to two years, Rockingham will continue to offer harness, greyhound and Thoroughbred simulcasting and operate its charitable gaming room.