Abe Orpen

Abraham 'Abe' Michael Orpen (February 9, 1854 – September 22, 1937) was a Canadian businessman, best known for his ownership of several horse-racing tracks in Ontario, Canada. Born in Toronto, Orpen first worked as a carpenter, became a hotel keeper, owned several construction-related businesses, then branched into horse-racing. He owned the Dufferin Park Racetrack, Hillcrest Racetrack and Long Branch Racetrack, and was a partner in the Kenilworth Park Racetrack at Windsor, Ontario, and the Thorncliffe Park Raceway in Leaside, Ontario. Orpen was well known as a facilitator of gambling, first at his hotel, and eventually at a casino in Mimico, 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.