The 171-year history of live racing at New Jersey's Freehold Raceway concluded on a somber and soggy Saturday afternoon at the half-mile oval. No sporting venue in the United States had been active for as long as Freehold Raceway, as the Monmouth County Agricultural Society was formed on December 17, 1853, and other unorganized events had been taking place there since the 1830s. For comparison, the second-oldest site in use, Franklin Field on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania, wasn't built until 1895, while on the professional side, Fenway Park has been open since 1912. Many of harness racing's greatest horses, drivers and trainers competed at Freehold throughout the years, but perhaps the most significant moment in the track's history occurred in 1968 when the legendary Cardigan Bay took his final win at the track and became the sport's first millionaire in the process. ► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter Freehold was also the scene of the first triple dead-heat for win with Patchover, Payne Hall and Penny Maid all hitting the wire together in 1953, and Freehold also hosted prestigious events such as the Breeders Crown, the Cane Pace, the James B. Dancer Memorial and the Dexter Cup. In front of a throng of fans on Saturday and over a sloppy track, the last 11-race program was headlined by a $15,000 American Harness Driver Club final for amateur drivers, and Grafenberg, a 6-year-old gelded son of Triumphant Caviar, prevailed by 3 3/34 lengths in 2:01 3/5 over the sloppy going. John Calabrese was the driver for trainer Vincent Stallworth and owner Jaypaul Hoover. T's Raider II, a 6-year-old Rockin Image gelding driven by Johnathan Ahle for co-owner/trainer Rachelle Morris and co-owner Howard Bruno, won the final dash as he swept into the lead off cover on the last turn and pulled away to tally in 1:55 4/5. Farewell Freehold and thanks for all the memories.