Has Pinnacle Bottomed Out !
Pinnacle Race CoursePinnacle Race Course was one mile thoroughbred track located in New Boston, near the Detroit Wayne County Airport, about thirty miles from Detroit. It was a small enclosed structure unlike it's predecessors in Detroit, built mainly for simulcasting. The facility seated only 1,480. The stables had stalls for 580 horses. The intent to return thoroughbred racing to Detroit, may have been well meant, the result wasn't. After only two years in operation Pinnacle Race Course went out of business. It probably has the dubious distinction of having the shortest run of any thoroughbred pari-mutual race track in the country.
Some people run from trouble others go looking for it. People that build racetracks must be the later. Pinnacle seems to be a perfect example. Built in the depressed Detroit area after every other thoroughbred facility in Michigan was shuttered. Give the founders credit they did build the new style small footprint style plant suited for simulcasting but even at that the second season ended a failure it was closed quite suddenly for simulcasting then the website disappears doesn't seem to encouraging. Being a non racino track Pinnacle has a purse value of 12 among the lowest in racing.
Pinnacle Park suddenly ceased operation shortly after the close of the 2010 season. Instead of the turf course that was promised to be built race goers in Detroit got shut out again.
In one bit of trivia you would have to call jockey Ricardo Barrios the "Alpha and Omega Man" at Pinnacle, as he won both the first ever and last race at the New Boston oval.
In 2012 most of the tracks assets were auctioned off to pay back taxes, leaving little doubt that racing will ever return to New Boston.
A familiar theme, I was there once. On this one I was a little late as it already out to pasture. It seemed like a sensible endeavor, it was a modest venue built mainly as an OTB site. Probably too far from the city, not to mention the number of casino's in Detroit.
At one point, I think the owner of Pinnacle Race Course stated at the end of the 2010 meet that his track would no only return but would be sporting a brand new turf course. Well he might have been right, I'm sure after sitting idle for a few years the weeds on the track would look like a turf course. Pinnacle was demolished in 2016, giving it eight years from cradle to grave. A short run for a dead track.