Homestretch

Homestretch, manufactured by A.B.T. Manufacturing Company of Chicago in May 1935, is an early electro-mechanical, flipperless game from the first years of electrified pinball. Its horse racing theme set it apart on location, turning each play into a day at the track.

The machine's standout feature is its animated race: each horse runs along a wire, pulled by a black tape that winds onto wheels at each end of the playfield, with clearance underneath the tapes so the ball in play can move freely beneath the action. This kind of mechanical animation was an ambitious touch for 1935, when electromechanical components were still in their infancy.

While the designer is not recorded, Homestretch remains an intriguing piece of pinball history, a reminder of the inventive mechanisms manufacturers devised to bring playfields to life in the game's formative years.