Atlantic City closing 1/16; New suitor appears for RC
 

It breaks my heart to share this news however a report in the Press of Atlantic City states that Atlantic City Race Course will permanently close all operations come Friday, January 16th.

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/a...0e60a1689d.htm

This is all the more painful since the last day of the six day turf festival from 2014 was actually a rain-out due to bad weather.

This is really sad news. They had such good crowds for the six-day meets.

I think it got to a point they realized things are only going to get worse there. The meet never made money on it's own. The horsemen liked it because the turf course is still, surprisingly nice. They are never going to get anymore casino money because they are all closing up. The OTB there was awful. They did have a deal to sell it a few years ago, not sure what happened.

I did see Manila run there, and a few other nice ones.

Tough news. I always thought the 6 day meet would lead to brighter days ahead. Just like Garden State Park, the owners probably believe the land is worth way more than the profit they can generate through racing. The story of the closing was just on channel 6 news. "Officials blame the closing on the lower horse population, and the lagging economy surrounding Atlantic City".

If one were to read the article at PHILLY.COM (http://www.philly.com/philly/news/ne...ting_down.html), one would think that Atlantic City was running a year-round meeting.

ACRC's regular six-race per day, six-dates per meeting schedule of recent years saw a very full entry box as horses from the mid-Atlantic were looking for turf spots or the chance to start their seasons. Ten and twelve horse fields were the norm - and there was never a shortage of riders. While Kentucky Downs has done a great job marketing their turf offering, ACRC's cards were great turf wagering opportunities.

Combining ACRC with the Monmouth situation shows sloppy research on the facts.

As for casino subsidy money, ACRC received virtually nothing (less than $1M over the term). Maureen Bugdon, former President of ACRC, often discussed with me the fact that they always used their own simulcast operation to fund the six-day meeting. In fact, given that the 2014 meeting was shortened due to the weather, the expectation was that extra funding was available to host races for 2015.

Quoting Colonel Sherman T. Potter from M*A*S*H, "Horse-hockey".

While Monmouth's extended meet (and the turf racing at the Meadowlands) might suffer from the overall decrease in nationwide breeding, ACRC carded full fields for all of their races with better than 68 head entered on a daily six-race program. ACRC carved a very unique niche in the horse racing calender for cheaper Parx horses looking for a turf option in addition to being an end-April/early-May launching pad for horses returning to the races for a new season.

That's all true Scott. Another note is that Greenwood has only been offering simulcasting of ACRC (it's own property) for a couple of years. It used to be if you wanted to bet AC, you had to go there. Most of the on-track customers come from Philly.

Most fans and horsemen(women) I know wanted more of the AC meet, even though it was a drive and had no stables. They liked the good turf course much better than Parx.

To that end, you could run a lower level turf horse off the winter layoff without fear of losing it as I don't believe (this may have changed) they had the mechanisms in place to allow actual claiming

Correct. Races carded at Atlantic City were run under Maiden Special Weight, Starter Allowance, or Allowance conditions.

Yes, could take a fairly cheap horse and maybe cash a check. Turf course was very nice. They just cut the grass and it was always a good course. Unlike Parx which is a hell-hole. They made money there. Maybe not from racing 6 days, but they could have made much more.

If I was the king of the world I'd have closed Parx from June 1 until Labor Day and raced at AC and kept the dirt track and barns. I loved it there. People came from Philly since it was a 45 minutes drive for most.

Steve mentioned a good thing today, about racing days. I know in PA it's all about revenue. The Racing Commission is a political vehicle for revenue. I worked for years on the PA Breeder's Board and wanted reduced dates and reduced takeout. It made sense and still does. The handle at PARX was $56,000 on Saturday. That's nine races and about $6,000 per race. That's horrible.

Del Park is also reducing days, not for Profit-Loss but just because they hate racing. Many of the operators just hate racing. It's a scab on their arm. They make millions in slots and casino and make thousands in the racing. It's hamburgers and hot dogs.

But I do know it's never going to go away. Every kid I've taken to the track loves it. I love it.

MONMOUTH APPROACHING GREENWOOD ABOUT ACRC

http://www.examiner.com/article/monm...e-racing-dates

When asked if Monmouth Park would use the Atlantic City dates, Dennis Drazin, advisor to Darby Development — operator of Monmouth Park -- said in an exclusive statement to Examiner.com yesterday, "We are all very sad to see ACRA with its glorious past end its days as a racetrack. I do not anticipate adding days at Monmouth but rather we will make an effort to lease or buy the racetrack in order to preserve live racing in south New Jersey."

Would have to think there is a certain (sizeable?) chunk of MTH handle associated with ACRC facility. That might figure in. And of course with Drazin still expecting the sports gambling to ultimately happen, having an outlet that much closer to Philadelphia feels attractive.

Tampa Bay Downs just purchased the old Tampa Greyhound track for this exact reason.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/busines...cility/2212766

What horrific news..Spent the better part of every Friday night there as a younger man..First stop on the way to the shore. Would meet the whole family for dinner and drinks. So very sad. My uncles and Aunts would tell me of her glory days..The lot filled with cars, and standing room only from the rail to the doors.
I have been stopping in the last few years for the simulcast with a mixed bag of folks probably there for the same reason I was, to reminisce. I would head out to the apron to get a good look at the old gal...Broken but still beautiful.. Strange how some things stay with you from a place. Sitting here at my desk I can still bring up the sites and smells. What wonderful memories. Nothing like a track by the sea.
Not sure how I'm getting there Friday but I feel like I need to say goodbye... As she will surely be torn down in the name of "progress"
I'm going to miss her.

I would love to see a Monmouth backed venture use that turf course as an attraction for the Parx-based crew in addition to those from the mid-Atlantic. Perhaps this could substitute or augment the meeting held on the turf at the Meadowlands?

ACRC could easily support a two-to-three week April/May meeting leading into the Monmouth season. Also, perhaps a later season turf meeting shortly after Labor Day? Lastly, there is nothing that says that the main course could not be used also.

I would not hold my breath for Monmouth to sweep in as the savior. They arent exactly swimming in money.
The meadowlands meets are happening because they need to keep their foot in the door for when the northern NJ casino becomes a reality, IF it comes to the meadowlands.

While I enjoyed the ACRC meets lets not forget that the place is mostly dilapidated and would need a ton of work if you ever were serious about having a real meet. Fixing and maintaining the dirt course alone would probably cost in the millions.

New, well-heeled angel emerges for ACRC..

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/n...f2374978e.html

Recent Revel buyer Glenn Straub appears bullish on Atlantic City in general buying up tracts of property...

Revel was sold for 3% of what it was built for

Alot of people will be glad the hear this