Bay Meadows "an upscale shopping and residential site"

[joeydb]

Yeah I am a capitalist too, but all I am saying is that the worth of large parcels of land near large population is a very high bar for ANY business to reach.

I live near Philly, and if it wasn't bought by the Park Service, Independence Hall would have been replaced by a multistory office building a long time ago.

The thing that really caught my eye is that Bay Meadows is still, currently, a pile of uncleared rubble. It wasn't completed as a shopping district last I heard, and Steve just talked about that maybe a month and a half ago.

[the_fat_man]

'you just can't stop the time'

luckily, with the advent of online wagering, some of us could really care less about WHERE the track we bet on is

[letswastemoney]

Originally Posted by the_fat_man

'you just can't stop the time'

luckily, with the advent of online wagering, some of us could really care less about WHERE the track we bet on is

some handicappers might prefer HP's surface though

[johnny pinwheel]

Originally Posted by letswastemoney

some handicappers might prefer HP's surface though

never cared for it. now that its poly its even worse. thats why i don't care if it closes. not that racing was not in trouble already but the poly tracks did not help. i know it hurts the handle because people don't want to bet them. like me and alot of my friends.

[letswastemoney]

Originally Posted by johnny pinwheel

never cared for it. now that its poly its even worse. thats why i don't care if it closes. not that racing was not in trouble already but the poly tracks did not help. i know it hurts the handle because people don't want to bet them. like me and alot of my friends.

Well I mean that some people prefer the cushion over Polytrack at Del Mar or Pro Ride at Santa Anita. I mean you could argue it plays somewhat differently, almost an in between dirt and synthetic

[Rupert Pupkin]

My friend is on the TOC and they just had a meeting. I asked him what the chances are that Hollywood Park will be closed next year. He thought it was very unlikely. He said that he would estimate that there is a 90% chance that there will be racing at Hollywood Park next year. I hope he is right.

Hollywood Park has promised the horsemen that they will give them at least 6 months notice before they close so that horsemen will be able to start planning what they are going to do and where they are going to keep their horses. They have not given the horsemen the 6 month warning yet. That is a good sign. On the other hand, as of right now HP still has not applied for racing dates next year. That's not a good sign.

I guess that no definitive decision has been made yet, but my friend on the TOC is very optimistic that there will racing at HP next year. I hope it's not just wishful thinking on his part.

If and when HP applies for racing dates for next year, then we will know for sure that HP is staying open.

[freddymo]

Originally Posted by the_fat_man

'you just can't stop the time'

luckily, with the advent of online wagering, some of us could really care less about WHERE the track we bet on is

I completely agree!!

[dalakhani]

Originally Posted by joeydb

Yeah I am a capitalist too, but all I am saying is that the worth of large parcels of land near large population is a very high bar for ANY business to reach.

I live near Philly, and if it wasn't bought by the Park Service, Independence Hall would have been replaced by a multistory office building a long time ago.

The thing that really caught my eye is that Bay Meadows is still, currently, a pile of uncleared rubble. It wasn't completed as a shopping district last I heard, and Steve just talked about that maybe a month and a half ago.

We horse racing fans tend to overvalue our sport's impact on American Culture as a whole. Independence Hall? I would say the home of the Liberty Bell is a whole lot more important than the home of Lava Man.

You bring up an interesting point though about real estate. Why should horse racing be any different than any other business? Charlestown Races and Slots sits in Jefferson County West Virginia. It is about an hour and a half from Downtown Washington DC. It is a thriving operation. The fact is that the value is in the operation itself and not the land its on.

There will always be horse racing in California in one form or another. Popularity and demand will dictate the scope just like any other business. One of my favorite tracks in the country, Arlington Park, is not even 20 years old and a fire paved the way for one of the finest facilities in the country. Perhaps it will take the closing of some of these traditional venues to eventually pave the way for better venues.