Comments on: MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK: HIALEAH — A MORTAL LOCK

By: Horse Racing Track

Horse Racing Track — Sun, 03 May 2009 22:33:17 +0000

I donâ€™t comment often, but I do like your Paulick Report » Blog Archive » MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK: HIALEAH — A MORTAL LOCK blog.

By: Tanya

Tanya — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 19:35:14 +0000

Hope it works out for Mr. Minor

By: Noel

Noel — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:58:10 +0000

Most people don’t see the beauty and rich history Hialeah Holds. Minor went and toured the park, there is a reason why he fell in love with it. He loved it even before he visited the park. I encourage more people to look into its rich history and tell me what they think. Hialeah is perfect in every way, from the paddock to the Flamingo filled infield to the beautiful palmed entranced. Hialeah is unique and beautiful, and we should all support to save it.

By: scaporell

scaporell — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 20:29:01 +0000

Have you seen the people that sit at racetrack slots? I’d like to go ahead and congratulate all the racino managers especially Frank “I’ll ruin this business if it’s the last thing I do” Stronach for allowing the dregs of society to overtake once great horse racing venues. Evans at churchill must be going to stronach’s weekend seminars on how to run a company into the ground.

By: Muggs

Muggs — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 12:13:53 +0000

Though Santa Anita and Arlington are nice let’s get one thing straight,there is only one Hialeah. The paddock,the horse path,the row of barns inhabited by the best bred horses in America winter after winter. Gulfstream WAS nice before it was ruined,but it was never Hialeah. If you were there for Private Account’s Widner or saw Silver Sereies and Run Dusty Run hook it up at the 1/8 pole in the early 80’s you understand. If you weren’t it cannot be described to you

By: Steve D

Steve D — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 18:36:03 +0000

Please dear God, let more people who “don’t understand racing” get involved in racetrack ownership. Considering what those who supposedly understand the product have done to drive people away, perhaps some neophyte will rediscover seasonality, good service, low takeout & well-maintained facilities that the those “in the know” managed to ignore.

By: Steve Kweskin

Steve Kweskin — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 17:06:46 +0000

I worked as a groom for Arnold Winnick and Sherril Ward and as a photographer for Jimmy Raftery at Hialeah in the late ’60’s. There was not a more beautiful, more serene track in the world than Hialeah. Even if you had to be at work at 5 a.m. and weren’t feeling too well from too many beers the night before, you looked forward to your job because you knew it was at Hialeah. I think it is the most beautiful, peaceful sport’s venue I have ever seen. I hope there is still life for the old girl.

By: Garrett Redmond

Garrett Redmond — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 16:02:45 +0000

Kellsboro Jack makes good sense. Why exhaust resources and patience trying to woo an unwilling wallflower?
Go for someone who wants to dance or else build a new facility. New could hardly cost more than restoring Hialeah. After restoration there is still the fight for dates against CDI and Stronach.

If Halsey Minor wants winter racing, consider a new track around Fort Myers or Naples.

By: Patrick

Patrick — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 15:53:26 +0000

“…how did he let Doug Donn outsmart him on every move and get control of the best winter racing dates for Gulfstream Park?”

A more appropriate question for Brunetti: how did he let Donn outsmart him to get PERMANENT control of the best winter racing dates for Gulfstream?

Let’s remind ourselves that the Donn family’s war against Hialeah started long before Brunetti arrived on the scene. As far back as 1971, they and their lawyers hoodwinked the Florida Supreme Court into overruling the Florida Racing Commission’s decision to give the 1972 prime winter dates to Hialeah.

Hialeah’s pre-Brunetti financial collapse was precipitated by three things:

1) The aformentioned court ruling.
2) The confiscatory pari-mutuel tax circa 1971 whereby the state of Florida took nearly half of the takeout revenue.
3) The introduction of summer racing at Tropical/Calder which lowered demand for the wintertime product.

This is not to absolve Brunetti of his share of blame, but simply to remind folks that the desire to put Hialeah out of business and keep it out, whoever might own it, has been around 40-50 years and not just under the reign of its current owner.

By: TomasinNM

TomasinNM — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 15:49:19 +0000

Magna said that it has put Santa Anita up for sale along with their other race tracks. Is it conceivable, possible, that Sheikh Mohammed or Keeneland could buy Santa Anita? Assuming of course that Stronach is serious about selling - and, does Stronach have a choice?

Sheikh Mohammed has the money obviously but there may be questions politically at home for him concerning parimutuel wagering. Perhaps he could form a subsidiary to handle such an acquisition.

Keeneland, I assume, has the funds as well; is there anything in their bylaws that would prevent such a concept?