'The grooming round of champions': The local history and national legacy of Columbia's forgotten racetrack

Between the mid-1920s and the late 1960s, the State Fairgrounds racetrack in Columbia, South Carolina, was utilized as a winter training and racing facility for some of the national thoroughbred horse racing industry's most renowned horses and top trainers. Columbia's racetrack received national acclaim for the unsurpassed quality of the soil, the city's iodine water, and the mild climate, all of which provided the perfect location to train thoroughbreds. The racetrack not only brought famous horses and trainers to Columbia, but it also brought unique social and economic aspects to the city with visits from wealthy horse owners and the Palmetto Trials spring racing event. A visit to the same space today offers no visible sign of the once impressive training facility as it was demolished in the late 1960s. While many of the horses that trained on the racetrack earned a place in the annals of racing history, the facility that helped elevate them to that status has long been forgotten.;However, the demolition of the State Fairgrounds racetrack was not the end of thoroughbred training in South Carolina as training facilities in both Aiken and Camden remain in operation today. By examining the racetrack in Aiken, and to a lesser extent the one in Camden, it is possible to understand the distinctiveness of the racetrack in Columbia and answer some of the questions surrounding its downfall.;Although the facility disappeared decades ago, evidence remains that documents the racetrack's development, uses, and demise. A thorough study of the racetrack's existence, based on these sources, assists in preserving the memory of the space and placing it appropriately in South Carolina's history as the "grooming ground of champions." This study also aids in detailing the importance of South Carolina's training centers in the development of generations of racehorses and how it is still relevant to the national horse racing industry in the twenty-first century.;At first glance, the story of the State Fairgrounds racetrack seems to be a chapter of forgotten local history. However, a broader inspection reveals that the space is part of a local racing legacy with national impact, and despite being relegated to a neglected memory, the racetrack should be included in any history of South Carolina and Columbia due to its unique contributions to both. Through an awareness of the training facility, it is possible to uncover the legacy and influence surrounding the racetrack, while restoring to memory this forgotten space.