Hialeah: Among horse racing's most hallowed of halls

In hindsight, it was fitting that I first set foot on the grounds of Hialeah Park and Race Track on a Sunday.

The trip was, after all, a pilgrimage.

I spent a sunny Saturday at nearby Gulfstream Park, modern entertainment showplace, a Caesar's Palace on the Atlantic Coast, with live racing, to boot. And that experience was fantastic. I met interesting people as I watched and wagered on excellent racing. I took photos of the facility. And I realized while leaving that the fun would stretch well into the night, long past the end of the Sunshine Millions Day race card, as horseplayers took advantage of the well-appointed simulcasting facilities, casino patrons enjoyed their games of choice, and the restaurants and bars served fine food and drink.

On a Sunday that greeted me with somber skies, I drove from my hotel in Doral, Fla., to Hialeah Park. I arrived an hour before the 1 p.m. gate-opening time, slipped my rental car in through a back driveway, and negotiated my way past a friendly employee between me and the grandstand by playing him a phone message I'd received from Hialeah's Pete Aeillo, telling me to visit his office on the second floor upon arrival and I'd get all the help and access I needed.

I parked, climbed out of the car, and there she was. Though dormant for nearly a decade, weathered and far from restored, the grandstand of Hialeah Park rose proudly toward the gray sky. I walked through the open gates and experienced the same sort of feeling I'd expect upon entering an old church that had been abandoned by its congregation in favor of a newer edifice.

Though her luster has faded and nobody had worshiped here for the past eight years, Hialeah Park is still a house of the racing gods. The feeling was so strong that once during the day I paused and gave thanks for the opportunity to see Hialeah in action, and to pray for her continued survival and success.

Meanwhile, I snapped a few photos as I wandered up to find Pete's place. I bumped into him outside the small, second-floor space occupied by the employees of Coady Photography, and Pete soon walked me to his office to obtain a pink media credential on a lanyard, receive a free Hialeah ball cap, and get the chance to meet track announcer John Lies.

Pete, though harried at times, is one of the more personable guys you'll meet, and couldn't come off as any more enthusiastic about his job at the resurrected racetrack. John seems to have a great attitude, an equally good voice, and a fine race-calling style that served Hialeah well in its opening seasons as a Quarter Horse racetrack.

In track owner John Brunetti's rebuilding process, whomever made the decision to hire those two guys made good choices.

I paused at the front of the grandstand momentarily, looking out toward Hialeah's infield lake, declared a sanctuary for the American flamingo by the Audubon Society.

Then, with press credentials around my neck, I made my way toward the back side, where makeshift barns of white canvas and modular stall systems stand in for the old Hialeah stables that were razed some time ago. Despite the makeshift resources and purses that were cut somewhat during the meet (something that's happened at a lot of tracks in this economy), sentiment on the back side was strongly positive. It seems the 2009 and 2010 Quarter Horse meets had been relatively lucrative and very competitive; trends that backsiders expected to continue.

"If you come back next (meet), better pack a lunch," said one man working in the barns. "The job won't be getting any easier."

On the front side, employees were fairly enthusiastic and universally professional and helpful. A pleasant excitement simmered among the decent-sized congregation of 3,196. Granted, that number of parishioners pales in comparison to the 27,000 who showed up for Hialeah's grand reopening in November. But considering the track was open in in direct competition on this day with glittering Gulfstream and its casino, restaurants and simulcasting, I can't fault Hialeah for the size of the crowd.

Remember, this comeback meet featured Quarter Horses, which Floridians haven't seen race in their state since 1991 at Pompano Park, a harness track. And Hialeah operated without the ability to offer simulcast wagering, which even by the end of the 2010 winter meet, not all patrons had quite figured out.

"I punch 'Other Tracks' and still all it gives me is Hialeah Park," said one man to a friend as both stood at an auto-teller to place their bets.

Before too long, Hialeah will be hosting a poker room, adding some revenues to fuel further renovations. Simulcasting rights are scheduled to return, which will help attract bettors like the aforementioned patron, who don't just want to wager on Hialeah during a day at the races, but also on other tracks around the country. And a shrewd move by Brunetti fulfilled a legal requirement for two consecutive calendar years of race-meets by staging a "2009 fall meeting" and a "2010 winter meet" in immediate succession, from late-November through early February, letting Hialeah qualify to host slots and full casino gambling in 2011.

So Hialeah Park's comeback is well under way.

I pondered all this as I walked down an empty trackside apron, distancing myself from the crowd in the one-third of the grandstand that is open, while approaching the starting gates to photograph the horses breaking in The Sunshine Stakes.

As my feet shuffled, I kicked something and heard it scuffle along the concrete apron ahead of me. It was nothing important, I was certain, and I continued to walk.

Then, in a moment of sentimental clarity, I turned to look back at what my toe had booted. It was a chunk of concrete and aggregate, slivers of black and pink stone. An egg-sized hunk of Hialeah Park, I presume, probably fallen from the shuttered grandstand a few yards away.

That lump -- I consider it an artifact of racing history -- now sits on my mantel in North Carolina, next to a 60-year-old Life Magazine page featuring Citation's breaking of the all-time earnings record for a thoroughbred racehorse. The same Citation whose life-size statue stands watch over the patio and paddock area at Hialeah Park.

If you've ever clutched a wager ticket and prayed to the racing gods for divine intervention as the field turns for home, then whether you've ever set foot there, to you Hialeah Park should be sacred soil.

And if politicians, the racing industry's powers that be, horsemen, horseplayers and John Brunetti can continue to cooperate on the undeniably good work of restoring Hialeah Park, we will be able to watch and wager for generations to come as horses -- hopefully thoroughbreds, too -- rumble toward the finish line at these hallowed grounds.

A quick-hitter after Hialeah

DORAL, Fla. -- I learned something Sunday.

My Quarter Horse handicapping skills are hyper-focused on being able to pick the horse that will be bet down to nothing by post time on his way to victory.

Actually, I only picked two winners Sunday in my first-ever visit to Hialeah Park: Chi Ter to win the South Florida Quarter Horse Stakes (pictured above), and One Tough Dude in the following race, the Sunshine State Stakes. Chi Ter was 4/1 when I bet him -- the morning-line price to which he'd drifted back up after taking some early money -- but he was bet hard late, too, and closed at 4/5. One Tough Dude was 7/1 when I bet him fairly late in the process (off a 5/2 morning line), and yet he managed to be bet-down to even money by post time.

I would have had a third winner in the same, somewhat disappointing fashion had I taken the 8, Cartel of Diamonds, in Race 3. Opening at 3/1, the 5-year-old gelding soon was a short price, and I felt I had no other choice but to try and couple him with someone else in exotics. My trifecta was blown up when 6/1 Rey Moro did come home second, but 9/1 St Pats First was bumped hard and finished a half-length out of third, behind 14/1 shot Meeks Gol.

The day had started in promising fashion, or seemingly so. Maybe it was actually a bad omen.

I took a price-horse in the first, First Miss Dash at about 9/1. I loved her anyway, and bet her at 11/1 before she drifted down a bit. She gave a great effort, but only managed third, losing second by head-bob to Chicks on Cash, and finishing barely more than a neck behind the winner, the 2/1 favorite Our First Dream.

I had bet $10 on her across the board, and the show money (a sweet $10.20 for $2, more on that later) paid $51. But it was sooo close to being sooo much better.

And by the end of the day, I realized I'd been sooo close on sooo many occasions. But never right when the price was right; only when the price was short.

On the subject of show-payouts, a chat with a Hialeah Park employee offered a nugget of information: Patrons of the revived track's Quarter Horse meet tend to be win-only players. The pools are small (only $3,981 WPS in Race 1) and the vast majority of that cash is placed on win-bets. So, when a 9/1 horse comes in third as I had her, the payout is more than respectable.

I hope to write more on Hialeah in the coming week. While the facility has so far yet to go in its comeback, there was a lot of excitement on both front side and back, and I think the place that has one of American racing's most-storied pasts, will also have a viable future.

Big Florida weekend plans help revive blog

This blog has stagnated since mid-November, ironically when my gainful employment ended and my free time -- that easily could be used for blogging -- increased.

That stagnation is going to get a bit of a stir this weekend, as my promised and much-anticipated (by me, anyway) trip to Florida for a visit to the reopened Hialeah Park is set for this weekend.

I've actually picked the ideal weekend to be in Miami -- as if there's a bad time, I suppose. The weekend forecast here at home in North Carolina is for a high of 28 and low of 14 with a "wintry mix."

I'm not sure I've ever traveled in the direction of warmth during winter. But this is also perhaps the ideal week of the "cold" weather racing season to be in Miami.

Saturday I plan to be at Gulfstream Park, where I will take in three of the six races in the annual challenge series between Florida and California, Sunshine Millions Day. Races being run at Gulfstream include the $300,000 Sunshine Millions Turf for all horses age 4 and up at a mile and an eighth, the $300,000 Sunshine Millions Distaff for older fillies and mares at an equal distance on the main track, and the $200,000 Sunshine Millions Sprint for older horses.

The other half of the Sunshine Millions Card, of course, will be run at Santa Anita in California. There, entrants will contest the $200,000 Filly & Mare Sprint, the $300,000 Filly & Mare Turf, and the $500,000 Sunshine Millions Classic.

On Sunday, I'll focus on the revived Hialeah Park, and it's the biggest day of the resurrected track's Quarter Horse-racing season.

Sunday's feature race will be the $100,000 South Florida Quarter Horse Derby; 3-year-olds, of course, going 440 yards. But there are other big events on the card as Hialeah marks its last weekend of its comeback season.

Race 6 of the nine-race Sunday card is the 440-yard South Florida Quarter Horse Invitational Stakes, also for 3-year-olds. The purse is $30,000 in this "consolation race" for those horses that did not earn entry into the South Florida QH Derby, later on the card.

And, Race 7, immediately prior to the Derby, will be the $25,000 Sunshine State Stakes for 3-year-olds and up, going 220 yards.

Since my flight back to the Tar Heel State actually departs quite late on Monday night, I might even make a return trip to Hialeah that afternoon. If so, there's another stakes race to be witnessed -- and a long one for Quarters -- the $30,000 Sailfish Stakes at 1,000 yards for ages 3 and up.

I hope to have some more news and insights on the trip before jetting away from North Carolina on Friday. I'll try to handicap the Sunshine Millions card and post my picks (for you to bet against) from both the Gulfstream and Santa Anita races. And with a bit of help, there might be a surprise or two in store. ... Hopefully for readers only, and not for me.

Meanwhile, anyone who is a South Florida racing scene veteran -- or knows what I ought to do with the rest of my time in Miami, when the racing is over -- please post your tips in the comments section or send me an e-mail.

First track on the 'unexpected vacation' circuit

Just a post before I go, to whom it may concern.

Traveling today to Laurel Park, winning wagers to be earned.

(The above introduction, apologies to Crosby, Stills & Nash, must be attributable to falling asleep with Playlist.com on continuous-loop.)

Since my surprise departure from an employer of 11 years the Thursday before Thanksgiving, I decided that the unexpected vacation was the perfect time to actually get out to the races. I'm working up plans for a trip to Hialeah and Gulfstream in January or early February, but the circuit begins this morning with Maryland's Laurel Park Racecourse.

The weather forecast is probably decent for December near D.C.; no precipitation is predicted. But with a projected 12:35 post-time temperature of 40, Florida is already sounding a lot better.

Nevertheless, I'll get a chance today both to see Laurel, watch racehorses in action (which, like Pete Rose on playing baseball, I might walk through Hell in a gasoline suit to do) and hopefully cash a couple of winning tickets, but I'll also have the chance to hang out again with a friend from an online horse racing discussion group who once traveled to Gordonsville, Va., to meet me and my horses.

Thanks for the invite, Rob. And for the worthy diversion from worldly worries.

Hialeah, here I come

There's something to be said for losing one's job.

It really frees up the social calendar.

That thought hit me the other day as I was contemplating what to do after departing unexpectedly, and unexplained, from my position at the North Carolina newspaper where I'd worked for nearly 11 years to the day. But what to do with my time?

Ah, Hialeah.

Historic Hialeah Park and Race Course reopened for Quarter Horse racing on Nov. 28 after some eight years on the shelf. Its last thoroughbred race was run in 2001.

So, sometime between now and the close of this "resurrection meeting" on Feb. 2, I shall venture to South Florida and stand trackside at a true American racing treasure. I won't be able to see any races run over more than a few hundred yards. But I can check out the distinctive architecture, the infield flamingos, the statue of Citation and learn a little bit about handicapping Quarters.

I haven't picked a date yet, though the quick trip won't take place between Christmas and New Year's. So the month of January or closing weekend, Feb. 1 and 2, are most likely. ... And I might as well hit Gulfstream Park while I'm in the area. Racing there resumes Jan. 3.

Hialeah back on track beginning Nov. 28 ... and what of it?

Long-dormant Hialeah Park in Florida has received approval of dates for a 40-day Quarter Horse meeting beginning Nov. 28.

The races will be the first of any kind run at the track since Cheeky Miss won the last race ever run at the historic racetrack on May 22, 2001.

News of Hialeah's approved dates comes on the same day that word breaks of Mountaineer Park's desire to run the statutory minimum number of dates (210) on an eight-month schedule, instead of year-round, putting the track at odds with horsemen who -- well, duh, I suppose -- would like to have an income during all 12 months of the year.

And that news comes of historic Ellis Park's decision to shut down Nov. 8 and suspend simulcasting operations.

And on the heels of news that the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has approved reduced dates for all three breeds racing within the state.

And shortly after California changes its laws to allow a much higher takeout on wagers, essentially lifting money right out of the pockets of winning bettors before they've had a chance to win, reducing the incentive to be a horseplayer in the first place.

And only days after news from Florida itself, Hialeah's home state, that Adena Springs is transferring its entire Southern stallion roster out of state, all the way to Canada.

Could Hialeah be reopening at a worse time? Or is the Hialeah resurrection one of only a few signs that there's still a chance for horse racing to rebound?

I realize the markets have been poor. Purses are falling in many jurisdictions. It's a tough time to be in the horse racing business -- although when has there ever been an "easy" time?

But I often do believe that the horse racing industry knee-jerk overreacts to difficult financial times in the same way my own industry, the newspaper business, does.

We in newspapers slash staff, reduce our pages, cut dates of publication -- and somehow hope that customers to continue advertising, reading and spending with us the same way that they always have.

Horse racing slashes dates and purses, state governments treat their own lotteries as fiscal Godsends while scorning horseplayers that really keep an entire job-creating industry alive, and the quality, frequency and visibility of racing as a sport suffers more each day. But we in the business lament the declining lack of interest among the public.

I've heard the arguments for fewer dates as a return to the good ol' days. I'll have a blog entry soon on why I believe there's a big misconception about the supposed over-scheduling of horse racing.

Meanwhile, I'll continue to believe that less is almost never more.

Hialeah, I know you have your rooters and your detractors.

So good luck, Hialeah. You're gonna need it.

All hail Hialeah, may she live to race again

Far as horse racing news goes, it really couldn't get much better than this.

John Brunetti, owner of the defunct Hialeah Park race track in Florida, believes racing will return to that once-spectacular venue that was picture-postcard-perfect (inset) in its heyday.

Brunetti was quoted by bloodhorse.com as saying Hialeah will be back in business "as soon as possible." Hialeah issued a press release on the track's pink-flamingo letterhead for the first time in years, the site reported, noting that the facility had been granted a permit to host Quarter Horse racing and that officials including Brunetti and his son, John Jr., had trekked to Oklahoma's Remington Park to learn the ropes of hosting races for cow ponies. (No griping from the QH people; I love your horses, too!)

Hialeah's Quarter Horse permit, granted in March, requires the track to begin hosting races within a year. Former Florida state Rep. Luis Rojas, who lobbies on behalf of Hialeah in the legislature, estimated the cost of renovations at $40 million to $90 million, though Internet multimillionaire Halsey Minor, who tried to buy the track from Brunetti to refurbish it and was rebuffed, told The Miami Herald the cost would be more like "one hundred and twenty million bucks. It's in really bad shape ... you can see the bones."

Remington -- with slot machines driving purses for Quarter Horse racing to a stellar $265,577 per night -- ended its Quarter Horse meeting May 31 by reporting increases in both on-track attendance and handle. The latter was up 4.9 percent over 2008, this despite a recession.

The Blood-Horse reports that recent Florida legislation has opened the possibility of slot machines at Hialeah, which had initially been specifically written-out of voter-approved initiatives that permitted slots elsewhere in the Sunshine State. Hialeah has been closed since 2001, when it shuttered the place after losing a series of disputes about racing dates with competing Calder Race Course and Gulfstream Park. But with slots -- and bigger plans -- Brunetti thinks Hialeah can again give the other contenders a run for their money.

"Since Hialeah already has an existing facility," the press release stated, "we are moving forward with plans to refurbish the track and return to racing as soon as possible."

"It is our hope that the new Hialeah Park will not be limited to Quarter Horse Racing," said John Brunetti Jr. "We also envision adding a casino, a card room with poker and dominoes, and slot machines, along with 'Class A' Thoroughbred racing."

Florida law ... and this is interesting ... has an allowance for "poker rooms" specifically at Quarter Horse tracks. Go figure.

I can't picture a more rewarding site for horse racing right now than a renovated Hialeah Park -- pink flamingoes and all -- playing host to throngs of gamblers, be they horseplayers, card-players, or slot-handle-pullers. The city of Hialeah is probably thinking the same thing. Officials there said that more than 9,000 job applications have already been submitted in hopes of gaining employment at the reopened track.

Certainly Hialeah Park is a national treasure. Construction originally began in 1921 under the ownership, among others, of aviation pioneer Glenn Curtiss. It survived a 1926 hurricane and in 1930 was sold to wealthy Philly horseman Joseph Early Widener. Hialeah Park in 1932 installed the first totalisator in the United States -- the device was imported from Australia -- to facilitate parimutuel wagering. The track features some of the nation's most striking architecture; it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979; and, it was also the setting during 1987 of most of the principal photography for one of my favorite flicks, the Richard Dreyfuss picture "Let It Ride."

For more on the racetrack, visit "Save Hialeah Park," which touts the track as among the "11 most endangered historic places in America." It ain't the most-updated site in the world, but there's some interesting Hialeah Park information there. Also be sure to check out this photo essay on the track since its closure, and this Myspace page dedicated to saving Hialeah.

And if people in or around Inglewood, Calif., had that sort of interest in their local track, maybe Hollywood Park wouldn't, as it now seems, be doomed.

But there's still some trepidation regarding Hialeah's resurrection. Minor thinks Brunetti doesn't have the bucks to do the job. And Ray Paulick noted in 2008 that Brunetti's management of Hialeah was far from the sharpest.

Let's hope that the combination of a Quarter Horse permit (requiring new stables as the original ones were demolished) and gambing that includes poker and slots (to reward renovation of the front-side facilities) will get Hialeah back on its feet.

It would be nice to see the track back in action, flamingoes and all, and to see Hialeah make a serious case for good race dates -- the kind of case Brunetti couldn't make in the past.

Pray for Rene

I ventured away from technology for 20 hours Sunday to visit the beach with my family and upon my return, only one item from the horse racing world merits my foremost attention.

I offer prayers for Rene Douglas, who is likely to be permanently paralyzed in his lower extremities after a spill aboard the 4-year-old A.P. Indy filly Born to Be in the Grade 3 Arlington Matron Handicap. I urge anyone who believes in a higher power to do the same.

Douglas' filly was bumped by a second horse, clipped heels with another, somersaulted throwing Douglas to the track, and landed with her full weight on the jockey. Though Born To Be continued to lie upon Douglas after the crash, apparently it was mostly to gather her wits. She reportedly had to be pulled off Douglas so that he could be treated, but after an ambulance-van ride back to the barn, Born to Be was said to have "recovered" from the fall, according to The Blood-Horse, which cited Douglas' agent, Dennis Cooper. 

(Edit: The Daily Racing form now reports that Born to Be was euthanized later at Arlington Park. ... RIP, talented one, and my condolences to the connections.)

Cooper said doctors "gave it straight" to him after seven hours of surgery, saying that Douglas is unlikely ever to walk again. A 42-year-old native of Panama, Douglas has nearly 3,600 North American victories as a jockey, and his mounts have earned more than $102 million. He was the regular rider for 2-year-old filly champion Dreaming of Anna, and won the 1996 Belmont Stakes aboard Editor's Note.

Douglas and his wife, Natalia, have three sons, Michael, Giancarlo and Christian. They'll all need our prayers.

Moments such as this serve to remind us of the sacrifices being made by the men, women and animals who make this game possible.

I hope the early prognosis is unduly dire and that Rene Douglas is someday able to walk. Of course it's likely that even if that happens, he's done with riding.

Either way, it's fair to look back on his career his career at this point, and I would contend he was one of the top riders of his era. His is not necessarily one of the names that race fans and handicappers would list when naming the greatest recent jockeys; he's just the guy whose horses beat their horses about as often as theirs beat his.

Douglas twice won 11 stakes races in a season at Arlington Park (2002 and 2007), a record he shares with the likes of Kennard Knapp (1965), Pat Day (1981) and Jorge Velasquez (1989). He won six riding titles at Arlington Park, where in 2003 he won seven races on a single card, and he was tied for the leading rider title at the Chicago track in the early going this year. Douglas also won three riding titles at Calder and Hialeah, setting a single-season win mark at the latter.

In the irons, especially at Arlington, Rene Douglas was money.

Get well, Rene. I'll keep you and your family in my prayers.

(Visit Rene's Web site at http://renedouglas.com/.)