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Hewitt paid the debt and learned his lesson, "It was a cheap lesson and saved me thousands," wrote Hewitt. Although Orpen was involved in gambling when it was illegal, his gambling club and racetracks did not open on
Sundays when opening on Sundays in Toronto was illegal. Orpen was also known for his lack of racial discrimination. Blacks and whites worked side by side at the Orpen tracks. Facilities were the same for both.
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Toronto bookies "was not legal, and not quite illegal" at the time. Orpen tried several businesses, including the
Simpson Brick Company, a lumber company and mining properties. Although all of his non-gambling businesses failed, he was able to build his home in 1900 at Sherbourne and Carlton Streets using bricks from his brick company.
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worked without one until 1929 when another Orpen illness necessitated a statement of their business association. The two detested the idea of using separate lawyers and compromised by using two from the same law firm. When the original
Dufferin Park charter was revoked, Orpen went directly to Prime Minister
301:, Orpen and Hare owned the track until Orpen's death in 1937 and Hare's death in 1938. Orpen's sons operated the track until it was sold along with Dufferin Park in the 1950s. In 1935, Orpen, his son Fred and Hare arranged to hold races in London, Ontario, leasing the track at the Queen's Park fairgrounds.
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On July 31, 1937, Orpen had a heart seizure while in the
Metropolitan Racing Association (MRA) offices at King and Bay Streets. On September 22, 1937, Orpen died in the family home at the corner of Carlton Street and Sherbourne Street after a lingering illness. At the time of his death, Orpen and his
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at the track. The event was so highly anticipated that it became the first horserace to be filmed in its entirety, with the resulting footage later shown in movie theatres across the country. The race was originally intended to be a face-off between the three great horses of the time: Man o' War, Sir
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miles, which was too short for
Exterminator to run his best, and agreed to a weight-for-age format, under which the older Exterminator would concede weight to Man o' War. Therefore, Exterminator was not entered, and in fact, raced that same day on a different track. Orpen put up a $ 75,000 purse and
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bet with Orpen at amounts he could not afford. Told that Hewitt made $ 9 a week, Orpen offered to let Hemitt bet privately with him for one month, betting on any horse in North
America at 2–1 odds, one bet a day. After one month, Hewitt owed $ 18, or half his salary, which Orpen offered to forgive.
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In 1937, Orpen arrived at the
National Sporting Club early one Monday morning. When he arrived, he was held hostage by three men who had broken in but could not crack the safe. Orpen could not open the safe, not knowing the combination. The robbers then demanded $ 5000. Orpen negotiated with them,
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After marrying
Isabella Srigley of Newmarket in 1874, Orpen bought the Alhambra Hotel, located on the south-west corner of Church Street and King Street East. It had three bedrooms and a bar. It became a den for poker, dice and bookmaking. According to Orpen, keeping a book and writing a sheet for
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Orpen was well known for his many small acts of philanthropy and charity. He financed the operation of a soup kitchen for two years, although he shut it down after people complained that the soup was not good enough. Orpen opened his office on
Fridays to whoever needed help. On one such occasion,
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Orpen was born in
Toronto in 1854, at the family home at Oxford Street and Spadina Avenue. He was one of six children. His parents both came from northern Ireland; his father Samuel Orpen was a railway paymaster from Kilmairn, Killowen, and his mother Sarah was from McGuire's Bridge, Enniskillen.
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In 1907, he and Thomas Hare launched Dufferin Park Racetrack on land leased for 20 years. The Orpen-Hare partnership was built out of necessity. Orpen was ill when the venture launched and Hare became the operator, the two splitting the profits. The two were dead set against paper contracts and
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promising them $ 1000 and that he would not reveal their identities. They went to his bank and Orpen withdrew the money. Orpen never revealed their identities. He is reputed to have told them to get another job and return to his club, where he could potentially recover his losses.
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Abraham and Isabella were the parents of nine children. At the time of Orpen's death, his wife, two sons, Abraham Jr and Fred, and a daughter, Mrs T. Ambrose Woods, survived him. The two sons took over the racing businesses and operated them until they were sold in 1955 to the
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After his father died in 1863, his mother operated a hotel at Queen's Wharf at Bathurst and Front Streets. After finishing public school, Abraham would work as a carpenter. Disliking carpentry, Orpen quit and worked as a dishwasher in the hotel. Orpen was a cousin of painter
359:. When the MRA vacated its offices at King and Bay in December 1938, they kept the hat rack and hats that Abe had left the day he had the heart attack and placed it in their new office in the Crown Life building. Fred kept it in the office until the MRA was sold.
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On several occasions, Orpen refunded a gambler's losses when it became known that the gambler had gambled their rent or food money away. Orpen never recommended that people gamble; only that he would take their bets if they wished to bet. In 1890, sports writer
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since 1936.) The crowd at the track for the race was estimated at more than 30,000 and it bet $ 220,00 on the race. The track held its last meet in 1935. The grandstand was demolished in 1939 and the site was developed as a housing subdivision.
290:, just outside the Toronto city limits on Lakeshore Road west of the Humber River. According to Orpen, the police always tipped him off when a raid was occurring. "Club members had keys; the police were the only ones that rang the doorbell."
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Allen, Ralph (September 23, 1937). "Friend of Thousands, A. M. Orpen Sr. Dies; Funeral on Saturday: Philanthropist--Sportsman, 83-Year-Old Race-Track Owner Was One of Most Discussed Men in City BODY LIES IN STATE".
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Orpen's first venture into horse-racing was the purchase of several horses. It went badly; three out of four horses died after falls. He got out of owning horses but did not get out of the gambling business.
174:, Ontario. After his death, his family continued the horse-racing businesses until the 1950s, when they sold their tracks during a time of consolidation of racetracks in Ontario.
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146:, Orpen first worked as a carpenter, became a hotel keeper, owned several construction-related businesses, then branched into horse-racing. He owned the
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The second race track that Orpen invested in was Hillcrest in Toronto, at Bathurst and Davenport. Opened in 1912, it operated only until 1916. During
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138:(February 9, 1854 – September 22, 1937) was a Canadian businessman, best known for his ownership of several horse-racing tracks in
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367:. The Orpen home at 380 Sherbourne Street is a designated heritage property. It has been converted into an apartment building.
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Allen, Ralph (December 22, 1938). "ABE ORPEN'S PICTURESQUE OFFICE TO BE MOVED: M.R.A. SANCTUM UNCHANGED BY FOUNDER'S DEATH".
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Munns, Tommy (September 23, 1937). "Scanning the Sport Field: Grand Old Man of Canadian Sport Passest".
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Barton and Exterminator. However, the owners of Sir Barton and Man o' War agreed to a distance of
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could not afford to go to the 1935 Canadian Boxing Championship, Orpen gave him $ 50.
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ETOBICOKE HISTORY CORNER: ‘Mysterious’ Abe Orpen opened Long Branch Race Track in 1924
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wife Isabella had been married for 63 years. Orpen's funeral service was held at the
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was opened, donated by his son Fred Orpen. In 1980, Orpen was inducted into the
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In 1924, Orpen bought land in Etobicoke Township west of Toronto and opened the
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In the 1920s, Orpen established the National Sporting Club gambling casino in
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Two stakes races that originated at the Orpen tracks continue to be run. The
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Davy the Punk: A Story of Bookies, Toronto the Good, the Mob and My Dad
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On his 80th birthday, Orpen received congratulations from the
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and H. D. Brown opened the Kenilworth Park Racetrack in
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502:"A. M. Orpen Dies, Aged 83, After Lingering Illness".
776:. Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. January 4, 1980
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464:"Death Comes To A. M. Orpen, Ontario's Sports Dean".
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A.M. (Abe) Orpen, Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
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661:"Officials Are Announced For London Racing Meet".
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517:"Urged Millar To Alter Famed Will, Says Orpen".
632:"Historicist: Rise and Fall of the Brown Derby"
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270:of New York. (The gold cup, now known as the
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834:Burials at St. James Cemetery, Toronto
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547:"John O'Grady Runs Amuck With A Gun".
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597:. Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
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506:. September 22, 1937. pp. 1, 5.
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427:Man o' War: A Legend Like Lightning
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642:from the original on July 10, 2017
389:Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
127:Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame
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731:. September 23, 1937. p. 40.
536:. September 22, 1937. p. 29.
620:. February 27, 1939. p. 17.
468:. September 22, 1937. p. 1.
266:a $ 5,000 gold cup, designed by
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551:. November 17, 1899. p. 1.
532:"Death Notices: Orpen, A. M.".
37:Abe Orpen in his office in 1930
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521:. February 8, 1936. p. 3.
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727:"Death Notice: Orpen, A.M.".
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377:Canadian International Stakes
353:Cathedral Church of St. James
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98:Isabella Srigley (1854-1943)
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665:. July 17, 1935. p. 7.
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136:Abraham 'Abe' Michael Orpen
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221:Toronto Transit Commission
150:, Hillcrest Racetrack and
829:Sportspeople from Toronto
408:. The Porcupine's Quill.
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156:Kenilworth Park Racetrack
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340:Prime Minister of Canada
246:and Triple Crown winner
217:the largest vehicle yard
164:Thorncliffe Park Raceway
71:Toronto, Ontario, Canada
355:and he was interred in
148:Dufferin Park Racetrack
638:. September 19, 2015.
423:Ours, Dorothy (2006).
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381:Cup and Saucer Stakes
299:Government of Ontario
295:Long Branch Racetrack
230:"The Race of the Age"
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152:Long Branch Racetrack
314:when Canadian boxer
280:Saratoga Race Course
115:Mrs T. Ambrose Woods
16:Canadian businessman
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385:Dufferin Grove Park
365:Ontario Jockey Club
774:"A.M. (Abe) Orpen"
760:The Globe and Mail
744:The Globe and Mail
616:"Along Turf Row".
595:"A.M. (Abe) Orpen"
433:St. Martin's Press
357:St. James Cemetery
336:Premier of Ontario
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64:September 22, 1937
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824:1937 deaths
819:1854 births
715:Bossin 2014
700:Bossin 2014
688:Bossin 2014
676:Bossin 2014
402:Bossin, Bob
213:World War I
90:businessman
77:Nationality
54:Canada West
813:Categories
636:Torontoist
395:References
248:Sir Barton
244:Man o' War
178:Early life
162:, and the
112:Fred Orpen
87:Occupation
780:April 20,
663:The Globe
577:Ours 2006
564:The Globe
309:Character
25:Abe Orpen
640:Archived
404:(2014).
379:and the
338:and the
103:Children
81:Canadian
260:⁄
219:of the
168:Leaside
144:Toronto
140:Ontario
123:Honours
50:Toronto
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371:Legacy
334:, the
288:Mimico
191:Career
172:Mimico
129:(1980)
95:Spouse
451:Notes
346:Death
782:2021
648:2019
603:2019
437:ISBN
410:ISBN
61:Died
43:Born
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
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