This is what horse racetracks used to look like in Toronto

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It's difficult to imagine today, but horse racing was once a marquee event in Toronto.

Not only did the city's various tracks bring out big crowds during their heyday in the early 20th century, but a day at the races represented an opportunity for Toronto's upper crust to show off just how fashionable they were.

Woodbine, 1907

Few occasions today serve as quite the same opportunity to dress to the nines during the middle of the day.

Dufferin Race Track, 1908

While Rexdale's Woodbine Racetrack opened in 1956 keeps up the tradition of a day at the track, a hundred years ago one would have also found tracks at/near Woodbine and Queen, Dufferin and Bloor, Davenport and Bathurst, Thorncliffe Park, and a little later, at Evans and Kipling in Etobicoke.

Woodbine, 1910

Once you know this, it makes more sense why the Dufferin Mall and the TTC yards at Hillcrest are so sprawling, despite their relatively central locations.

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Hillcrest, 1911

By the late 1950s, a number of these tracks had closed down as marquee events were consolidated at the new Woodbine location. In the years that followed, horse racing in general suffered from a dip in popularity.

Woodbine, 1912

For most, the idea of heading out to the track has become something of a novelty nowadays.

Off Track Betting hasn't necessarily helped the local manifestation of the sport, as the participants in that particular ritual can place bets on races taking place all across North America.