SOLD! Remington (Chickasaws), Thistle (Harrah's) sales OK'd

[Kasept]

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/...oweEAD9ANULBG0

WILMINGTON, Del. — A Delaware bankruptcy judge on Tuesday approved the sale of two of Magna Entertainment Corp.'s horse racing tracks — Thistledown in Ohio and Remington Park in Oklahoma City — for a combined total of almost $170 million.

Judge Mary Walrath approved the results of a spirited auction on Monday that ended with a winning bid of $89.5 million for the Thistledown track near Cleveland from Harrah's Operating Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Nevada-based casino giant Harrah's Entertainment Inc.

[NTamm1215]

This was also released by Lone Star today:

News Release
Contact: Dan Leary, Director of Communications
(972) 237-1140 cell - (469) 964-0663
danl@lonestarpark.com

GLOBAL GAMING LSP, LLC NAMED STALKING HORSE BIDDER IN LONE STAR PARK SALE

GRAND PRAIRE, Texas (Sept. 15, 2009) - Lone Star Park announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Global Gaming LSP, LLC of Ada, Okla., which is owned by the Chickasaw Nation, designating them as the stalking horse bidder in the sale of Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie. The terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

It is expected that the final auction for Lone Star Park will be conducted by mid-October in New York by Miller Buckfire & Co., MEC's financial advisor and investment banker.

As a stipulation of the agreement with Global Gaming LSP executed yesterday, Lone Star Park will operate under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware until the sale is completed.
Until the final closing on the sale of Lone Star Park, the track will continue to be operated by MEC.

"With this acceptance of a stalking horse bid, we can now move on to the next step in the process," said Lone Star Park President and General Manager Drew Shubeck. "We continue to operate our Post Time Pavilion for daily simulcasting and are busy making preparations for the start of our 2009 Fall Meeting of Champions on Sept. 25. Today we will attend the Texas Racing Commission meeting to obtain approval for our 2010 racing dates, and we are actively preparing our 2010 business plan."

The sale of Lone Star Park is subject to the approval of the Texas Racing Commission.
Live Amercan Quarter Horse racing returns to Lone Star Park on Friday, Sept. 25 with its 2009 Fall Meeting of Champions, which runs through Saturday, Nov. 28. For more information on Lone Star Park, visit LoneStarPark.com

- END -

Dan Leary
Director of Communications
Lone Star Park
w - (972) 237-1140
cell- (469) 964-0663

Sent by Dan Leary, best known as Bonnie the Bugler's husband.

NT

[freddymo]

Originally Posted by Kasept

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/...oweEAD9ANULBG0

WILMINGTON, Del. — A Delaware bankruptcy judge on Tuesday approved the sale of two of Magna Entertainment Corp.'s horse racing tracks — Thistledown in Ohio and Remington Park in Oklahoma City — for a combined total of almost $170 million.

Judge Mary Walrath approved the results of a spirited auction on Monday that ended with a winning bid of $89.5 million for the Thistledown track near Cleveland from Harrah's Operating Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Nevada-based casino giant Harrah's Entertainment Inc.

Shiek Mo? he bought everything else?

[eajinabi]

Originally Posted by freddymo

Shiek Mo? he bought everything else?

A middle eastern owned track in the United States would be the revival for horse racing

[Kasept]

Originally Posted by eajinabi

A middle eastern owned track in the United States would be the revival for horse racing

A new bizarre suggestion... Why would a Middle Eastern-owned track specifically trip a "revival for racing"?

And what exactly is a "revival for racing"? If players and fans just recognized the game as it is currently as more than good enough for our enjoyment, the ridiculous assertion that racing 'needs' reviving would disappear.

Stop caring that a certain segment of the populace isn't interested in the game. What validation does anyone need from people too vapid to understand racing or too ignorant to take up handicapping/wagering as a pastime?

[Gate Dancer]

Stop caring that a certain segment of the populace isn't interested in the game. What validation does anyone need from people too vapid to understand racing or too ignorant to take up handicapping/wagering as a pastime?

Amen to this part of the quote...............I have never ceased to be amazed by the lack of understanding of this game by non-horse gamblers. To think that you would be satisfied by playing a slot machine or a roll of the dice over trying to decipher the mystery of an individual horserace is ridiculous to me. You at least have the opportunity to make an informed decision in every situation rather than blind luck being your salvation. It takes hard work and diligence to find that nugget of gold in this game but nothing is more satifying. This has been a nice year for the game with some incredibly distinguished performers and performances. I understand the push to get more people involved with various promotions etc., but there is just no way certain segments of the population will ever embrace this sport.

[eajinabi]

Originally Posted by Kasept

A new bizarre suggestion... Why would a Middle Eastern-owned track specifically trip a "revival for racing"?

And what exactly is a "revival for racing"? If players and fans just recognized the game as it is currently as more than good enough for our enjoyment, the ridiculous assertion that racing 'needs' reviving would disappear.

Stop caring that a certain segment of the populace isn't interested in the game. What validation does anyone need from people too vapid to understand racing or too ignorant to take up handicapping/wagering as a pastime?

I really dont think that is a bizzare suggestion. If they can attract thousands of new spectators to thier new Meydan track in Dubai, then we can see what they can produce in the United States. People complain about short fields and crappy horses right? Why do owners/trainers send thier horses mid way around the world to compete in the Desert when easily those type of horses could be racing in the United States? Look how watered down the Big Cap has been in recent years. You cant deny how succesfull the Dubai World Cup has been for them.

As a gambler myself, I definetley want new fans to enter the game. why? I want dead money in the pool. 5 to 1, 6 to 1, shots today could easily be twice that if there are more dead money in the pool. I want people betting horses based on the name, color

To suggest for people to recognize the sport as it is is not that easy for the common folk to inhale. Why? Its hard to promote the sport when thier are way too many toilet tracks around the country. Quality of racing is poor and there is nothing interesting about betting or watching crap horses at crap tracks unless you are a degenerate gambler. There are 100s of race tracks and only 5-10 are worth going to or betting on. IMPROVE THE PRODUCT!

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by eajinabi

I really dont think that is a bizzare suggestion. If they can attract thousands of new spectators to thier new Meydan track in Dubai, then we can see what they can produce in the United States. People complain about short fields and crappy horses right? Why do owners/trainers send thier horses mid way around the world to compete in the Desert when easily those type of horses could be racing in the United States? Look how watered down the Big Cap has been in recent years. You cant deny how succesfull the Dubai World Cup has been for them.

As a gambler myself, I definetley want new fans to enter the game. why? I want dead money in the pool. 5 to 1, 6 to 1, shots today could easily be twice that if there are more dead money in the pool. I want people betting horses based on the name, color

To suggest for people to recognize the sport as it is is not that easy for the common folk to inhale. Why? Its hard to promote the sport when thier are way too many toilet tracks around the country. Quality of racing is poor and there is nothing interesting about betting or watching crap horses at crap tracks unless you are a degenerate gambler. There are 100s of race tracks and only 5-10 are worth going to or betting on. IMPROVE THE PRODUCT!

Think of the promotional possibilities?
Del Mar Burka Day!
Monmouth Prayer Rug day!
The Keeneland 100 Virgin's giveaway!

[Kasept]

Originally Posted by eajinabi

I really dont think that is a bizzare suggestion. If they can attract thousands of new spectators to thier new Meydan track in Dubai, then we can see what they can produce in the United States. People complain about short fields and crappy horses right? Why do owners/trainers send thier horses mid way around the world to compete in the Desert when easily those type of horses could be racing in the United States? Look how watered down the Big Cap has been in recent years. You cant deny how succesfull the Dubai World Cup has been for them.

As a gambler myself, I definetley want new fans to enter the game. why? I want dead money in the pool. 5 to 1, 6 to 1, shots today could easily be twice that if there are more dead money in the pool. I want people betting horses based on the name, color

To suggest for people to recognize the sport as it is is not that easy for the common folk to inhale. Why? Its hard to promote the sport when thier are way too many toilet tracks around the country. Quality of racing is poor and there is nothing interesting about betting or watching crap horses at crap tracks unless you are a degenerate gambler. There are 100s of race tracks and only 5-10 are worth going to or betting on. IMPROVE THE PRODUCT!

The Dubai World Cup is run by the ruling family for the ruling family's amusement. Is there serious competition for the entertainment dollar in Dubai? The Carnival runs for a handful of weeks one and two nights a week. They aren't luring spectators with clever marketing. And horsemen/owners come from around the world because of the purses. Middle-Easten ownership of North American tracks isn't going to magically transform the venues into hotbeds.

If you want to stick to 'better product' as a line of reasoning, that's cool. Many agree with you there. Less racing, with fuller fields of more competitive runners, is a definite formula for improved racing and renewed or wider player interest. But the last statement about '100's of tracks' and 'only 5-10 worth going to or betting on' is just wrong. There aren't 100's of tracks and even the "worst" track out there can likely have a fun atmosphere and great race day every once in a while.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by Kasept

A new bizarre suggestion... Why would a Middle Eastern-owned track specifically trip a "revival for racing"?

And what exactly is a "revival for racing"? If players and fans just recognized the game as it is currently as more than good enough for our enjoyment, the ridiculous assertion that racing 'needs' reviving would disappear.

Stop caring that a certain segment of the populace isn't interested in the game. What validation does anyone need from people too vapid to understand racing or too ignorant to take up handicapping/wagering as a pastime?

There certainly is a lot of vapidity lately

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by Kasept

A new bizarre suggestion... Why would a Middle Eastern-owned track specifically trip a "revival for racing"?

And what exactly is a "revival for racing"? If players and fans just recognized the game as it is currently as more than good enough for our enjoyment, the ridiculous assertion that racing 'needs' reviving would disappear.

Stop caring that a certain segment of the populace isn't interested in the game. What validation does anyone need from people too vapid to understand racing or too ignorant to take up handicapping/wagering as a pastime?

[dean smith]

Originally Posted by Kasept

A new bizarre suggestion... Why would a Middle Eastern-owned track specifically trip a "revival for racing"?

And what exactly is a "revival for racing"? If players and fans just recognized the game as it is currently as more than good enough for our enjoyment, the ridiculous assertion that racing 'needs' reviving would disappear.

Stop caring that a certain segment of the populace isn't interested in the game. What validation does anyone need from people too vapid to understand racing or too ignorant to take up handicapping/wagering as a pastime?

I'm not trying to challenge anyone's opinion here (you guys have all forgotten more about horse racing than I'll probably ever know), but wouldn't gaining interest and fans of the sport do a lot to solve most of racing's problems we hear about on a daily basis on your show? I'm not calling you a doomsayer by any stretch of the imagination -- you're usually pretty positive. But you also do a good job of trying to cover every aspect of the sport, and every aspect of the sport seems to have seen better days economically.

Wouldn't more people interested in racing equal more money wagered, more handle, and more attendance, thus resulting in bigger purses, bigger commissions, and more Carolina BBQ being eaten? And then wouldn't this interest bring in new money to the auctions, upping the value of horses, which would help the breeders, etc., etc. I can't think of one segment of racing that would do worse financially if more people suddenly became interested.

Even from a handicappers standpoint, wouldn't new fans' money equal bigger fields and pools? Good handicappers like yourself could start to get paid like it was the 1950s all over again.

I personally root for the popularity of the sport for these reasons -- although I must admit, a little validation from my vapid and ignorant non-horse racing fan friends would also be sweet...

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by dean smith

I'm not trying to challenge anyone's opinion here (you guys have all forgotten more about horse racing than I'll probably ever know), but wouldn't gaining interest and fans of the sport do a lot to solve most of racing's problems we hear about on a daily basis on your show? I'm not calling you a doomsayer by any stretch of the imagination -- you're usually pretty positive. But you also do a good job of trying to cover every aspect of the sport, and every aspect of the sport seems to have seen better days economically.

Wouldn't more people interested in racing equal more money wagered, more handle, and more attendance, thus resulting in bigger purses, bigger commissions, and more Carolina BBQ being eaten? And then wouldn't this interest bring in new money to the auctions, upping the value of horses, which would help the breeders, etc., etc. I can't think of one segment of racing that would do worse financially if more people suddenly became interested.

Even from a handicappers standpoint, wouldn't new fans' money equal bigger fields and pools? Good handicappers like yourself could start to get paid like it was the 1950s all over again.

I personally root for the popularity of the sport for these reasons -- although I must admit, a little validation from my vapid and ignorant non-horse racing fan friends would also be sweet...

Unfortunately Fans does not equal Bettors. We really need more people interested in betting on racing than following racing. On another note there is no way to accurately compare racing in Dubai and America. The truth is that virtually all of their "ideas" are taken from others.

[pmayjr]

Originally Posted by freddymo

Shiek Mo? he bought everything else?

No chance... he walks a fine line as it is being a pretty liberal muslim letting outsiders bet his track. But there's no on-track betting in Dubai. There's no way he could own a track and allowing betting on the premises as a part of his religion.