Steve's Hialeah Idea.

[satan's twin]

On today's ATRAB show, JJ and Steve had on Alex Fuentes of savehialeahpark.com. They were discussing Hialeah's future. I love the idea that Steve Byk proposed for Hialeah Park. If you didn't catch the show, Steve suggested that Hialeah be used as a Breeders' Cup venue every 3 years. The plant obviously needs renovation, but what a great place to host a BC. Gulfstream can't host a BC any more since they turned the place into a casino, and they no longer have the seating capacity. Santa Anita and Hollywood are going synthetic, and I think the BC will stay away from the synthetic surfaces for the time being. That eliminates 3 venues that have been used multiple times in the past. Hialeah would make sense for a lot of reasons. It's big enough to handle the crowds, great fall weather, and, according to most horseman, an outstanding main track and turf course. I have never been to Hialeah Park, but I know of its history and its place among the great tracks of America. I am hopeful that such a beautiful facility can be resurrected and saved from the wrecking ball. I hope you're on to something Steve.

[randallscott35]

I would love to visit this track. I remember betting it in the mid-90's. Looked amazing. Wish the makeover they did on GP as done of Hialeah.

[Cajungator26]

Hialeah was a beautiful facility... what a shame that there is no longer racing there. Great idea, Steve! I hope it comes to fruition.

[ELA]

For those of you who listened to the show tonight, you heard a discussion about about Hialeah Park. More importantly, and for those of you who didn't listen, there was a disucssion about an effort to save Hialeah Park and restore it to its days of glory and grandeur. It was an interesting and educational discussion to say the least. As I was driving home, I began to remember -- much of which I had forgotten -- all my days at Hialeah.

The huge effort to save this once great racetrack is being headed up by a gentleman named Alex Fuentes. He is part of The Citizens of South Florida for the preservation of the Hialeah Race Track.

I urge everyone to visit the the below websites and remember. The first one --

http://www.savehialeahpark.com/

is not fully functional yet, however, the myspace one below is -- and it is truly great!

www.myspace.com/savehialeahpark

Now, I am completely unfamiliar with the political aspects of this situation, who is to blame, the legislative aspects -- all of that! I really have very little knowledge of this. However, here is what I do know -- we all know Hialeah Park. I am sure we all have fond memories of this once great racetrack. It is time for people to set aside their differences. It is time to set aside the greed. It is time to set aside the factionalization that is so prevalent today in this industry. The industry has not been able to work together on so many of the important issues that confront us today -- drugs/medication, jockey insurance, simulcasting, wagering/rebates, VLT's, and so many more -- however -- THIS is something the industry MUST work on togtether.

Hialeah Park was not the first racetrack I ever went to. It certainly wasn't the last. But I remember it was the first and last racetrack I ever went to with my grandfather. I remember I had my first beer at a racetrack -- at 13 -- with my grandfather at Hialeah. I remember how worried he was that my grandmother would find out and throw us both out of the house. And I remember it was my grandfather who introduced me to the greatest sport I've ever come to know. So, my grandfather died some years later, right before I was going to see him in FL, and probably go to Hialeah. He never got to hang out with me at the track in my ownership years. Years later, the first time I won a race and stood in the winners circle, I lit up a cigar and blew some smoke toward heaven. Laugh if you want, and I am not a religious person by any standard, but I felt him there with me.

I remember years later, after my grandfather died, going to Hialeah with my friends, all of them knew my grandfather. I remember telling them the stories of my grandfather and me at the track. I remember all of us having a drink and toasting my grandfather. He wasn't there that day, but he was, I felt him there with me. I remember the same friends 20 years later at my wedding toasting my grandfather. He wasn't there either, but I felt him there with me.

One time my grandfather and I went to Hialeah and he took me on a tour of the entire grounds. He showed me all the statues and the plaques of the greatest horses our sport has ever known. He told me stories of all the great horses he saw and never saw. He took me onto the backstretch and showed me barns where Kentucky Derby winners and champions walked and were bedded down. He introduced to me Woody Stephens -- who my grandfather told me was the greatest trainer in the world. And he told me that if I doubted it, all I had to do was ask Mr. Stephens and he himself of course would tell me he was in fact the greatest trainer.

As I viewed that website I thought of all my days at Hialeah.

I respectfully ask all of you to visit these websites and remember. Now is the time for this industry to remember!

Thank you everyone for the opportunity to have me remember -- and one other thing -- a quick thank you to my grandfather. He introduced me to something that I have a passion for that I never thought I could have about anything. How can you thank someone for that. Well, many times words are hopelessly inadequate, and in trying to thank you, now is one of those times. Doesn't matter -- thanks pop!

Eric

http://www.savehialeahpark.com/

www.myspace.com/savehialeahpark

[sumitas]

Go for it. Hialejah is like Saratoga. Beautiful and historic.

[mclem10011]

Steve's got a brilliant idea. What a legendary track Hialeah is! It deserves to be saved no doubt about that. Hopefully the BC people would be open to the idea. I can't recall if it was a movie, tv show, or in a song, but I believe Hialeah is the first track I ever heard about. From hearing JJ's description of it sounds like quite a sight. I think if anyone can dig find & post pics of Hialeah it would be great.

[The Bid]

Sounds like you and Gramps had some great times together

[Danzig]

they had a link on equidaily not long ago with video footage of the place. considering it's been vacant for several years (and what is it with vacant buildings, it's like they KNOW they are empty and fall apart so quickly?!) it looked so beautiful. oh i wish i had the money, that place would open in a couple weeks! such a gorgeous place, and so much history. it's a shame it's sitting there like that.

[jay122797]

Check out the orginal MIAMI VICE (not the current impostor!)...opening credits!

[bogeydaman]

This would be like saying they should play the Superbowl in the Orange Bowl every 3 years in an effort to have the Dolphins move back to the Orange Bowl from Joe Robbie er, Pro Player er, whatever we call the stadium now.

I have been to probably 20 thoroughbred tracks Hialeah is by far the worst track I have ever been to. The most obvious word that comes to mind is toilet. Might as well petition for Tropical Park to reopen while we are at it.

[Cajungator26]

Originally Posted by bogeydaman

This would be like saying they should play the Superbowl in the Orange Bowl every 3 years in an effort to have the Dolphins move back to the Orange Bowl from Joe Robbie er, Pro Player er, whatever we call the stadium now.

I have been to probably 20 thoroughbred tracks Hialeah is by far the worst track I have ever been to. The most obvious word that comes to mind is toilet. Might as well petition for Tropical Park to reopen while we are at it.

What are/were you smoking, dude? That place was NICE.

[Cajungator26]

Here's a cool site with some more pics, guys...

http://icuban.com/hialeah_park.html

[bogeydaman]

Not smoking anything. Lived in So Fla for 25 years. Been going to the tracks (including Hialeah when it was open) for 20. Here is my short list:

* Surrounding area is, lets just say, unappealing (I work about 6 miles from Hialeah in a "higher end" community). Many of my cuban friends would not go no near the joint.
*Road access getting in / out of the track is horrible (though there was never anyone there which made it easier).
* Have to be bilingual to communicate with any teller, order a hot dog, etc.
* The quality of racing was horrible (all the northern horses would already have moved north and the local 2 year old season was not in full swing yet). Thus how many 5K claiming races can you run in a day? It is pretty sad when the early Calder meet is an upgrade to Hialeah.
* No Air Conditioning - Worst body odor per capita than any place I have ever attended outside of a September Dolphins Sellout
*Restroom / Cleanliness of facility - UGHHHH.
*30% takeout (yes this is true before it closed).
*1/2 the races were 5-6 horse fields with 8 races on a typical weekday.
*Biggest crowd of the meet - KC and the Sunshine Band live in concert.
*$2 parking, $5 entry fee to gate - This may mean little to many who pay to enter other tracks, but you are competing with Gulfstream and Calder who had a better quality product and would allow you in for less, free, or give you free stuff for entry.
*Management came 1st, customer last > see many comments above.

Need I go further????

My comments relate to the late early 90's and beyond. You want to go back to the 70's I am sure you can find many of these negative's go away. To me the old Gulfstream had the Hialeah positives without many of the negatives I have listed above.

Just one humble opinion.

I went once before it was closed. The pictures show its architectural splendor. Alas, the plant was never updated and it had the retro feel of a 50's- 60's feel. The horsemen loved it and felt it was a safe place to run. I heard the barns were torn down this year, so they would have to build some and or ship them all in. The location of the track is also in a very iffy neighborhood. The owner, Brunetti is also a very difficult character to deal with. While, I understand Steve's sentiment, the reality of the thing is if the BC comes back to Florida, it should go to Calder, which has a large plant, barns, etc to handle it. I'd love to see a "boutique meet" for Hialeah for the spring ,shoulder season at the end of the Florida Derby weekend, March 31st, this year. Gulfstreams last 3 weeks in April will be just going through the motions, as northern stables ship north and the calder trainers take over.

The same thing happens at Belmont park in NY after the July 4th weekend. Saratoga should be open the week after July 4th and a couple of more weeks, but only 5 days a week instead of 6. The addtional weeks and reduction of days per week would have a net effect of only a couple of total days to the Saratoga meet.

[Cajungator26]

Originally Posted by bogeydaman

Not smoking anything. Lived in So Fla for 25 years. Been going to the tracks (including Hialeah when it was open) for 20. Here is my short list:

* Surrounding area is, lets just say, unappealing (I work about 6 miles from Hialeah in a "higher end" community). Many of my cuban friends would not go no near the joint.
*Road access getting in / out of the track is horrible (though there was never anyone there which made it easier).
* Have to be bilingual to communicate with any teller, order a hot dog, etc.
* The quality of racing was horrible (all the northern horses would already have moved north and the local 2 year old season was not in full swing yet). Thus how many 5K claiming races can you run in a day? It is pretty sad when the early Calder meet is an upgrade to Hialeah.
* No Air Conditioning - Worst body odor per capita than any place I have ever attended outside of a September Dolphins Sellout
*Restroom / Cleanliness of facility - UGHHHH.
*30% takeout (yes this is true before it closed).
*1/2 the races were 5-6 horse fields with 8 races on a typical weekday.
*Biggest crowd of the meet - KC and the Sunshine Band live in concert.
*$2 parking, $5 entry fee to gate - This may mean little to many who pay to enter other tracks, but you are competing with Gulfstream and Calder who had a better quality product and would allow you in for less, free, or give you free stuff for entry.
*Management came 1st, customer last > see many comments above.

Need I go further????

My comments relate to the late early 90's and beyond. You want to go back to the 70's I am sure you can find many of these negative's go away. To me the old Gulfstream had the Hialeah positives without many of the negatives I have listed above.

Just one humble opinion.

And thank you for stating it. I was referring to how the facility LOOKED. I went there only a handful of times in the 90's, but to me, it was a beautiful facility. And no offense, but you have to be bilingual pretty much anywhere in South FL. LOL

[Buffymommy]

I always thought it was a beautiful place to watch racing. I love the Flamingos. I was there in the mid to late 90s too. But I really enjoyed it when I went there.

I got to Hialeah a few times...no doubt about the neighborhood now being a negative...the track itself was nice...you could get there by train...imho it was a better place to bet on and watch the races than Gulfstream is now.
not saying that the quality of the races were better than Gulfstream, but imho the facility itself was better.

[Rudeboyelvis]

I don't know one track that's in a *great* part of a city. Aqueduct, Pimlico, Churchill, etc. If it's in a city, it's probably not the best part of the city.


The Wild card has always been and will continue to be Brunetti. His 30% take closed the doors of the place. How can you figured a guy like that out? How much has he made from his 0% take the last 4 years? Then he was purportedly offered 220 million for the place and turned it down because he wanted to keep the integrity of the property (not turn it into condos, etc.)

There are big cities and then there are smaller cities like Saratoga Springs NY...Nothing wrong with the neighborhood that the track in Saratoga is in...

[Rudeboyelvis]

Originally Posted by Payson Dave

There are big cities and then there are smaller cities like Saratoga Springs NY...Nothing wrong with the neighborhood that the track in Saratoga is in...

Yeah...My point was that Hialeah Park is in Miami, a big city...so the logic would follow that the neighborhood it resides in most likely would be suspect. And not likely to change. And while there are a lot of factors that affect the on track attendance at places like AQU, Pim, Churchill - tracks that reside in big cities...the neighborhood they are in is not usually near the top of the list.

Basically saying the Hialeah section of Miami has little, if any, bearing on whether Steve's Idea could fly. Waaay too many other factors involved than location.