After Butler's death in 1934, the track continued to host ' the flats' until 1942 when it was converted back to being a harness track. Among the notable thoroughbreds who raced at Empire City, in 1936 Seabiscuit won the Scarsdale Handicap. The facility was purchased by New York grocery store magnate James Butler, who reopened it for Thoroughbred horse racing in 1907. Driving the Ford '999', he covered the distance in 55.54 seconds. One such event occurred in 1902 when Barney Oldfield set a one-mile (1.6 km) record in an automobile at Empire City Race Track. Clark died in 1900 and, with much litigation by his heirs over its proposed sale, the track remained closed for most of the next seven years except for special events. Yonkers Raceway, considered a city landmark, was opened in 1899 by William H.
It is owned by Vici Properties and operated by MGM Resorts International. Yonkers Raceway & Empire City Casino, founded in 1899 as the Empire City Race Track, is a one-half-mile standardbred harness racing dirt track and slots racino located at the intersection of Central Park Avenue and Yonkers Avenue in Yonkers, New York, near the New York City border.
