Page 95 - November 2021

The plant rebranded itself as “Juarez Racetrack” and continued its operations until new legislature– and reduced
attendance– made survival impossible.
In spite of the brutality he sometimes exercised, Pancho Villa was fondly remembered by a number of racetrackers. Harry Mann said that he believed Villa was a “good fellow;” after he gave the general a particularly good tip, he was rewarded with $250 (approximately $7,000 today). Unsurprisingly, given his love for gam- bling and horse racing, Villa established his headquarters at the racetrack in 1915.
Pancho Villa was also known for his harsher actions towards Juarez’s horsemen. In the winter of 1916, Ben Jones and his son, Jimmy, made their annual migration to the track. Sometime during their stay, they learned that Pancho Villa was heading towards the city with the intention of “commandeering” all the black horses he could find. Much to the Joneses’ misfortune, their best horse– a speedster named Lemon Joe– was black.
They couldn’t afford to lose him. “If they took him,” Ben Jones later recalled, “they took my entire stable.” First, Ben deposited Jimmy on the other side of the Rio Grande before returning
to Lemon Joe. As the trainer tried to formulate a plan, he noticed a mud-filled sack leaning against a stable wall. Thinking quickly, he filled a potato sack with mud, secured it to Lemon Joe’s leg with a bandage, and waited. As soon as the mud hardened, the horse’s movement was noticeably restricted. When Villa and his entou- rage arrived, they took one look at the hobbling Thoroughbred and dismissed him. Thanks to his ingenious plan, Ben Jones was allowed to keep Lemon Joe, although Villa’s men stole one of his new saddles as a consolation prize.
After reaching the height of its success during the early 1910s, Terrazas Racetrack’s
popularity began to wane. In 1916, another major track opened in Tijuana, making it increasingly difficult for Terrazas to attract American customers and horsemen. The plant rebranded itself as “Juarez Racetrack” and continued its operations until new legislature– and reduced attendance– made survival impossible. After briefly serving as a greyhound track, the institution finally shuttered its doors. Eventually, the racetrack was demolished and replaced by a sprawling “Innovation District.”
Although Terrazas Racetrack no longer exists, its legacy still endures. Wild, colorful, and– for many– liberating, the track remained in the hearts of numerous horse people and played an instrumental role in the development of Mexican racing.
Man O’ War after winning the Dwyer Stakes in 1920.
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