ICYMI.. Nice little Hialeah update in NYT

[Merlinsky]

Originally Posted by joeydb

I'd love to see Hialeah come back and get at least some Thoroughbred racing.

Amen.

[pmayjr]

interesting how brutally honest he was in the piece. He hates Quarter Horse racing and the more he races them the more millions he loses on that product. But it's getting him a casino license and that's making up for the expense.

As much as a lot of us don't like the casino revenue propping up the horse racing product, the one difference here is you got a horse racing guy that gives a bleep about the sport, in charge of the opertion and would make those improvements to the tote board and back-side

[Alabama Stakes]

maybe they could build a huge gated community around the place for retired hossplayers, who could live out their remaining days

[my miss storm cat]

Originally Posted by Alabama Stakes

maybe they could build a huge gated community around the place for retired hossplayers, who could live out their remaining days

Horseplayers retire?

[Rudeboyelvis]

Originally Posted by my miss storm cat

Horseplayers retire?

in Hialeah, FL... no less??!!

[Cannon Shell]

Hialeah is a great track but lets not nominate Brunetti for sainthood just yet. A big reason that S Florida racing is screwed up is because of him. I would go back to Hialeah in a minute if they had some sort of reasonable meet but I also cant blame Calder or Gulfstream is they dont want to deal with him.

[joeydb]

Originally Posted by my miss storm cat

Horseplayers retire?

Only like the Mafia retire - it's sudden and unplanned in the end. Until then ... I need action!

[Rudeboyelvis]

It's a pipe dream, unfortunately. The area (South FL) isn't supporting two tracks running concurrently now, and do you think either of them are going to give up days for a 3rd track? Possibly it could have flown way back when Halsey Minor was trying to do something but Burnetti wouldn't budge. Now there are slots in Calder and they are pulling out all the stops including diluting Tampa's winter population by running their absurd winter meeting against both Tampa and Gulfstream. add a 4th track running Thurs-Sun all winter and it would kill purses even further. I would highly doubt that neither CDI nor Stronach are going to give an inch.

[jms62]

Originally Posted by Rudeboyelvis

It's a pipe dream, unfortunately. The area (South FL) isn't supporting two tracks running concurrently now, and do you think either of them are going to give up days for a 3rd track? Possibly it could have flown way back when Halsey Minor was trying to do something but Burnetti wouldn't budge. Now there are slots in Calder and they are pulling out all the stops including diluting Tampa's winter population by running their absurd winter meeting against both Tampa and Gulfstream. add a 4th track running Thurs-Sun all winter and it would kill purses even further. I would highly doubt that neither CDI nor Stronach are going to give an inch.

Exactly

[Kasept]

Originally Posted by Rudeboyelvis

It's a pipe dream, unfortunately. The area (South FL) isn't supporting two tracks running concurrently now, and do you think either of them are going to give up days for a 3rd track? Possibly it could have flown way back when Halsey Minor was trying to do something but Burnetti wouldn't budge. Now there are slots in Calder and they are pulling out all the stops including diluting Tampa's winter population by running their absurd winter meeting against both Tampa and Gulfstream. add a 4th track running Thurs-Sun all winter and it would kill purses even further. I would highly doubt that neither CDI nor Stronach are going to give an inch.

First, ultimately there will be 2 tracks on the Gold Coast as a Stronach Group-CDI Calder deal will happen soon enough. (They were trying to finish it before the CDI shareholders meeting Thursday).

Halsey Minor? Do some Googling as to his current status. John Brunetti could have bought and sold Halsey Minor at any time. Brunetti knew he was a joke and dismissed him appropriately.

There's likely room for a companion facility to go with Gulfstream, especially given that stalls and a training facility will be needed when Calder goes. Payson Park is for sale and won't necessarily be around forever either which would add further need for barn space. Gulfstream had been willing in negotiations with Calder to give them some openings and there's no reason they wouldn't do it with Hialeah.

[pmayjr]

Steve,

Sorry I've been a little out of the loop with some news items lately. Please clarify what you mean with "when Calder goes". As in when they go back to just racing in the summer, or gone for good?

[Kasept]

The most recent discussions included suggestions that Calder would be closed altogether. One of the ongoing obstacles to closing a deal has been the expense involved in renovating the backstretch at Calder and whether it is prudent.