The Brighton Beach Race Course opened in 1879 by the Brighton Beach Racing Association. The track was an American Thoroughbred horse racing facility headed by the owner of the Brighton Beach Hotel, William A. Engeman. The sand-covered track instantly attracted the New York elite. It even hosted harness racing events - a form of horse racing popular in Europe in which horses at a particular stride pull their jockey in a two-wheeled cart. Though the track was highly successful, the 1908 Hart-Agnew law which banned gambling caused it to it fall out of favor. The facilities were converted into a motordrome for auto racing for a short time. Eventually, the grandstand and track were razed to be replaced by apartment buildings in the 1920s.