Caliente Hipódromo

The Agua Caliente Casino and Hotel opened in June 1928 in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. The vast and spectacular resort opened on June 22, 1928 outside the Mexican city of Tijuana in Baja California, in what is now the Agua Caliente neighborhood. It was designed by the prominent North American architect Wayne McAllister.[2] Gambling and horse racing were illegal in neighboring California, as was alcohol due to Prohibition, so many wealthy Americans and Hollywood celebrities flocked to Agua Caliente.[3]

An associated racetrack opened in December 1929 at a cost of $2.5 million.[1] Like the resort, the racetrack was designed by Wayne McAllister and built by wealthy Americans Baron Long, a Los Angeles nightclub owner, Wirt Bowman, owner of the Tijuana gambling establishment, The Foreign Club, and James Coffroth, a member of the local Tijuana horse racing establishment. Some sources note the fourth partner was Abelardo L. Rodríguez, Military Commander and Governor of Baja California, and future President of Mexico.[4] The lavish resort and racetrack on the Mexican border was popular among Americans, particularly Hollywood celebrities, because drinking, gambling and horse racing were still illegal in most of the neighboring U.S. states. The first manager of the track was Tommy Gorman, who had previously been involved in ice hockey.[5]

Although President Lázaro Cárdenas outlawed gambling in 1935 and closed the resort and casino, the Agua Caliente Racetrack continued to operate for many years. It was the site of several industry firsts, including starting gates, caliente safety helmets, the first track to have a track announcer and “pick six” wagering. Both Phar Lap and Seabiscuit ran and won the Agua Caliente Handicap, which for a time was the richest in North America.[6] The race track is the originator of the Pick 6 (on the North American continent), then known as the 5-10 and later on the 4-9'er. Some racetrackers called it the Big Six.

In 1939 Anna Lee Aldred received her professional license from the Agua Caliente Racetrack, becoming the first U.S. woman to receive a jockey's license.[7][8][9] Other riders as Esteban Medina, Aureliano Noguez, Humberto Enriquez, Francisco Mena, Antonio Castanon, Dionicio Navarro and David Flores graced the jockeys' quarters throughout the days of horse racing. Jockey Eddie Arcaro rode his first winner at Caliente in 1932. Trainers such as L. W. Jenner, L. J. Brooks, Wayne Spurling, Juan Garcia, and Roberto Mengaña were among the leading trainers every year.

The original grandstand structure was destroyed by fire in 1971, and while rebuilt as operational, was just a shadow of its opulent beginnings.[10] The racetrack ceased hosting horse racing after 1992, instead only presenting greyhound races.

Estadio Caliente pictured in 2012

The resort is currently owned by millionaire politician Jorge Hank who gave the Agua Caliente Casino and Resort its current name "Hipódromo de Agua Caliente", or Caliente Hipódromo.

The Estadio Caliente stadium was built in the grounds and opened in 2007. According to The New York Times, prior to 2007, "the site of Estadio Caliente was a muddy pit surrounded by a defunct racetrack and populated by hippos and alligators, part of a private zoo owned by the millionaire Jorge Hank Rhon" through his family company Grupo Caliente in 2007, he also founded the soccer team Club Tijuana to play at the Caliente Estadio, with the casino and dog-racing track on the next lot. The zoo moved to an adjacent lot. By 2009, the stadium was still under construction and at reduced capacity, as it still was in 2017. By 2017, the stadium had 27,000 seats and was at 90 percent capacity for the winter season.[11]

The resort was renovated in the 2010s.

In 2014, the Desert Sun reported that "the Agua Caliente Casino and Resort in Tijuana, founded... in 1928, is thriving with customers from Southern California."[12] In 2015, the dog racing circuit was one of 20 tracks in seven US states and Tijuana - it was the lowest ranked track on the circuit, and the only location in Mexico. At the time, it had 375 dogs, down from 1,000 at its zenith.[13]