The only way any Hialeah comeback happens is if Stronach buys all or part of it.

The bottom of that article says Minor doesn't like the racetrack/casino model. Not to say that it'd never happen but I bet he'd try to avoid it if at all possible. He seems like a guy that knows what works and goes all pit bull to get it. He's also a horse racing lover. Might be just the ticket. Looking at his family and work history among other things, this ain't no lightweight. You can see why they're taking him pretty seriously.

I also like the BC rotation thing. I say Hialeah and Pimlico should be two tracks with BC ambitions. Two historic venues that deserve better than they've gotten.

i wonder why pimlico has never gotten a look for the bc now that you mention it.

Have you been to Pimlico lately?


I happen to love the Preakness and everything about it. But hosting a BC is wayyyyyyy too ambitious for a facility that is falling apart at the seams.

i figured that might be why. what about laurel? to be honest, i'm really surprised they haven't moved the preakness there, and shut pimlico down-since slots in md seems to have as much a chance occurring as me winning the powerball tomorrow.

edit-also, from what i read, the handle goes to the bc, so i wonder if there really is much in it monetarily for the host track. seems monmouth lost money on the deal.

I'm kind of surprised too, but Laurel isn't built to handle the crowds like Pimlico. Don't think they have an infield that's usable, for one...

well, that would definitely hurt them as far as having it at laurel. it would be cool to see it at hialeah tho, but odds are not in this guys favor. but i wish him luck. i'd love to see the flamingo stakes back!

Horse racing needs an off season. December, January, February would be a good break country wide.

that would be unfair to those who don't make millions of dollars a year. not every trainer and owner is rich. they need to run their horses sometimes.

and in the REAL world....

ok, so what if Hialeah came back and someone was willing to make the investment to offer Aqueduct+ sized purses in the southern Florida climate for the winter? Doesn't anyone think that would work? Obviously the upfront investment would be huge but wouldn't you draw horsemen like Pletcher, Mott, and Zito over from Gulfstream in a second and get the old regulars like Jerkens and Shug to come down from Aqueduct? Is there anyone during the winter that is actually happy being at Aqueduct or Gulfstream?

It looks like Congress will have to mandate an off season if there is to be one. Horse racing will just continue to race their horses year round without that.

F*ck, just when I was hoping someone would answer my post the threadkiller shows up

That is why Churchill bailed out (for the time being). They want a bigger piece of the pie to host the BC.

a day like that (sort of like preakness day keeping pimlico going) can be a boon to the track. but not if the bc committee takes all the funds. churchill is set up to handle stuff like that, but monmouth looked to have a huge day-i doubt they ever make the attempt again.

More on the story:

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/...21hialeah.html

I dont think adding another racetrack is a good idea. Winter racing is already diluted. I never been and do not know much about Hialeah, but it sounds like a great place. Restoration and attendance are two different issues. You can restore the track all you want, but you also need people to bring back the glory days.

Fighting for choice dates was a huge problem that ultimately led to Hialeah's demise. Hialeah traditionally had the best winter dates. When Gulfstream began drawing more fans and competetive handles, they fought for the choice dates. Every year there was a big battle in the legislature over dates. (Calder seemed content with the off-season periods). Finally the legislators got tired of the bickering and said that the tracks could run whenever they wanted. Hialeah ran simultaneous with Gulfstream for a short time and did awful. (If I remember correctly, they also instituted an outrageously high takeout, which didn't help matters.) That was the end.

The date problem is still going to be huge if this resurrection plan gets off the ground. If Hialeah is going to run in the winter, they are going to have a hard time prying dates away from Gulfstream.

--Dunbar