Monticello Raceway—better known to harness fans as “The Mighty M”—has a fascinating history.
The beginning: 1958
Monticello Raceway opened on June 27, 1958, on a half-mile track in the Catskills. Its original purpose was closely tied to the area's famous resort industry: the track was intended to provide another attraction for visitors coming to the large hotels and resorts around Monticello.
The big years
During the 1960s and 1970s, Monticello became a major regional harness-racing destination. Its location in the Catskills gave it a huge summer tourism audience, and it became an important stop for prominent horsemen and horses.
The track's signature event was the Monticello-OTB Classic, which began in 1975 with an extraordinary $250,000 purse—at the time one of the richest events in all of horse racing. The great pacer Silk Stockings won the inaugural race. The event continued through 1985.
More than just horse racing
Monticello was famous for its entertainment promotions. It hosted concerts featuring performers such as Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons, Ike & Tina Turner, Natalie Cole, and Bobby Vinton. The track also presented closed-circuit broadcasts of major boxing events, including Muhammad Ali–Joe Frazier and Sugar Ray Leonard–Roberto Durán bouts. One of its Ali-Frazier events drew a record 17,495 people on June 20, 1980.
The track was also known for unusual promotions, including elephant races and contests in which athletes attempted to outrun racehorses.
The racino era
Like many New York harness tracks, Monticello eventually needed an additional source of revenue beyond pari-mutuel wagering. Video gaming machines were introduced, giving the facility a casino-style component and helping support racing operations. Monticello Raceway Management later operated the racing and gaming facility as part of Empire Resorts.
The Catskills changed
Monticello's fortunes were closely connected to the decline of the old Catskills resort industry. The huge hotels that once supplied the area with enormous crowds largely disappeared, and the track faced a much more competitive gambling environment after the opening of Resorts World Catskills in 2018. The video-gaming casino portion of Monticello was subsequently closed, leaving the facility primarily as a harness-racing track.
Monticello today
The half-mile track remains an important part of New York harness racing, particularly for New York Sire Stakes competition and everyday racing. Its history is unusual because it survived the collapse of the resort economy that originally helped create it. As of 2026, live racing continues, although individual programs are sometimes canceled because of weather or track conditions.
In short: Monticello went from being a major entertainment attraction for the glamorous Catskills resort era, to a nationally important harness track with huge purses and celebrity events, and ultimately to a smaller but remarkably durable regional racing institution.
