MINOR MEETING BRUNETTI
Internet entrepreneur Halsey Minor is scheduled to meet with Hialeah Park owner John Brunetti this morning at 11 a.m. to discuss Minor’s interest in acquiring and renovating Hialeah Park, the grande dame of American racing that has been dormant since running its last race May 22, 2001. The meeting will take place at an office at the track.
Minor, who also had a morning meeting with Hialeah city officials, will meet later in the day with the architectural firm that would assist in the rebuilding of the track, along with local preservationists, government officials and activists at a reception at the R.J. Heisenbottle Architects offices in Coral Gables.
Among those at the reception will be architect Richard Heisenbottle, Kathleen Slesnick Kauffman, historic preservation chief of Miami-Dade County; local historian Arva Moore Parks of the Dade Heritage Trust; preservationist Becky Matkov; city and county officials; and members of the Save Hialeah Park group led by Alex Fuentes and Janet Diaz
"I’ve had an extraordinary amount of support from people who want to see this succeed and have pro bono help with architectural, legal and zoning issues," Halsey told the Paulick Report Wednesday morning. "I wish every business was like this."
Minor, the founder of CNET and a Virginia Thoroughbred owner and breeder, recently expressed interest in acquiring Hialeah Park from Brunetti, who purchased the track in 1977 but subsequently lost the choice mid-winter dates to Gulfstream Park and closed the track after the Florida legislature deregulated racing dates and Hialeah was forced to go head to head with Calder or Gulfstream Park. The track has since lost its pari-mutuel license and its barn area has been demolished. Plans have been discussed occasionally to develop the site for a new baseball stadium, office park, or use it as a local park.
Minor and Brunetti have had one conversation about the sale of Hialeah prior to today’s meeting.
Copyright © 2008, The Paulick Report
Tags: alex fuentes, arva moore parks, becky matkov, Halsey Minor, Hialeah Park, janet diaz, kathleen slesnick kauffman, Paulick Report, r.j. heisenbottle architects, Ray Paulick, richard heisenbottle, savehialeahpark.com
August 6th, 2008 at 9:34 am
I am very proud of the Citizens of Hialeah for keeping the faith. I hope this will be the answer to our prayers. Hialeah deserves to be saved & Halsey Minor is the man to do it. Now it is time for the Horse Racing Industry to Help Hialeah. When Hialeah reopens, it will have brand new barns. What other racetrack in Florida can boast about that? We need the trainers and owners to speak up and say they will return to Hialeah. PLEASE, HELP US SAVE THIS HISTORICAL LANDMARK. IT CAN BE DONE & IT WILL BE A NEW EXAMPLE FOR THE FUTURE OF HORSE RACING! ! In my opinion, it is the most Beautiful Racetrack in America. I look forward to returning to Hialeah!
August 6th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
At least Brunetti met with him again and didn’t tell the press he still had no interest in partnering or selling. It would be tragic beyond belief if Hialeah is lost as a historical gem and landmark - not only because of the amount of history and structural beauty - but also because people have fought so incredibly hard against almost impossible odds to keep it from being plowed under by developers and turned into strip malls.
Here’s hoping for some vision and foresight on the part of all interested parties.
That said, however, it won’t matter a hill of beans if racing doesn’t get its act together and unify under one league head. As Arthur Hancock said so well “We are a rudderless ship with no one at the helm,” thoughI like to think of it more as “The inmates are running the asylum!”
Hopefully - the Interstate Racing Act and a Congressional committee with an axe to grind will move the various regional despots to pull together and follow the NFL in how to run a sport.
August 7th, 2008 at 2:18 am
It’s not that I don’t care, or that I think there’s any value in cynicism (there is none).
But having followed racing since 1985, this is article #126, 302 about how the possibility exists that some moribund facet of racing [fill in the blank] is going to resurrected.
Forgive me if my concentration has wondered, or that I think the credibility factor at this point on this subject has been bankrupted.
All this evokes the thought that the wonderful comedian Fred Allen in his auto biography mournfully noted that even in the 1950s, people thought vaudeville was going to make a comeback.
August 7th, 2008 at 10:30 am
So they met. The “summit” to save Hialeah and, possibly, racing!
When is the press conference to tell us what transpired?
I’m inclined to line-up with Don Reed.
August 7th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
Horse racing could stand some good news. Let this be it please
August 7th, 2008 at 8:54 pm
If Brunetti is stubborn and won’t allow Mr. Minor to save Hialeh, maybe Mr. Minor could save Hollywood Park. Thanks to Frank Stronach’s “leadership”, he may have the opportunity to save Santa Anita too.
October 29th, 2008 at 7:37 pm
Thanks your message has very much helped me:)