The Waterford Park racetrack had a long, illustrious history having been originally known as Waterford Downs. It was the brainchild of Al Boyle who bankrolled the track and named it after the Irish family home where he had lived in Waterford. Whilst plans were in place to develop the track in February 1939, in the event delays and the Second World War meant that building work did not begin until July 1948. By 1950, with the track still not completed, the name was changed to Waterford Park racetrack and the inaugural meeting finally took place on 19th May 1951.

I am grateful to our American Racing Correspondent Richard Gauthier for the excellent set of badges shown above.

A tribute to Felix Fatica from his loving wife Darlene Fatica
Felix Fatica was 23 when he launched his career as a jockey, going to Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, near Chicago, travelling from his home in Cleveland, starting out older than most of his contemporaries. He had been a secretary at Lincoln Electric and then served for a time in the Army. At Arlington he became a Bug Boy, living above a Tack room, and gained his inaugural win on a horse named Dawn of Chi at Sportsman's Park, appropriately enough near Chicago. His future wife, Darlene, was just one year old when Felix began his journey as a jockey, he being 22 years older than her. Indeed, she had just graduated from High School when he rode his last race. In later shared moments together Felix recalled that his favourite horse was Sol Invictus, a multiple winner for him, but he also had a fondness for Risky Rebel, who loved the mud, which was just as well as he won at Waterford Park, well-known for being muddy. Besides Sportsman's Park (now demolished), he rode at Ascot Park in Cuyahoga Falls (an industrial park now), Cranwood Park, (an industrial park now), Randall Park, Sunshine Park which is now Tampa Bay Downs, Thistledown Race Track, Tropical Park and Waterford Park. Felix’s daughter, Nancy, was born across the Ohio River in Steubenville, which also happened to be the birthplace of Dean Martin.
In 2002, still little, still thin, but still handsome, he returned to his beloved Arlington Park. In 2020 Darlene lovingly recalls, 'I sang to him as he passed away, which is how we had begun our journey together in the first place. We met in the Brecksville Broadview Heights Community Chorus, I was singing, 'All I ask of you', from Phantom of the Opera. We married 6 months later on October 19, 1996. Sadly, Felix died during Covid. When I finally was able to get into his room, he of course, was unconscious & breathing fast & shallow. I told him to slow his breathing & go into the arms of the Angels. I then sang to him a song from the end of the musical, 'Civil War' where an Angel comes to take the fallen home. As I sang, he slowed his breathing. When I was done, he took 3 more breaths and passed away.' I was so thankful for the time I was able to spend with him in his last few moments on this earth.