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Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind
In all fairness you may want to reserve judgement on liking " what he's done " with Gulfstream until you visit.
For me, the South Florida racing experience has been completely ruined. I'm sure others will disagree, and for them I am happy, but I was uncomfortable in the new plant. I spent upwards of 250 racing days at the old Gulfstream and there is NO semblence of the pleasurable former plant remaining. I am not suggesting that all changes were not for the better, and I am all for reinventing racetracks for the future, but to deny the fans what is enjoyable about spending a winter day in the sun at the racetrack in the Miami area is a crime that I have a tough time forgiving.
And I am not even talking about the closet sized paddock and dangerously tight walking ring. I shudder to think of what could happen should a horse get loose in that cramped space. Suffice to say it will be a situation that racing will have a very difficult time recovering from.
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BlackTW,
I respect your thoughts, here's a few of mine...
I know little about NYRA, so won't comment about it. I do, however, have some Gulfstream experience and will mark a note or two on that.
But first, a comment about slot machines. Does anyone really believe slots will help racing long-term? Perhaps they will help level the field for a few years, but really, how many blue-haired gals are there to go around? In time, you will see tracks close for lack of profit, slot machines notwithstanding.
Speaking of profit, there's nothing wrong with running racetracks with profit the primary objective. CDI certainly does it as does Stronach. Racetracks are physically huge facilities and their primary asset is the real estate upon which they rest. Gulfstream sits on 600-700 or so acres of tremendously valuable real estate and it's unrealistic to expect Stronach and his company to allow that property to go underdevloped and underutilized for 360 or so days per year. Go on reator.com or zillow.com and see what a decent 3br/2ba house on 1/4 acre east of Federal Hwy in Hallandale or Hollywood (FL) will run you. If it's less than $750k, buy it!
So, Stronach has decided that he would not rebuild Gulfstream to maximize the comfort of fans on two levels... 1, the $2 bettor; and, 2, the 3-4 "big" days of racing per year at Gulf. I don't blame him one bit. He's smart enough to sacrifice on-track attendance and handle for those days knowing that today's world has account and interstate wagering that more than makes up for it. Gulfstram is built to maximize revenue per square foot, pure and simple. To have done anything else would have been a mistake.
I think it's important to recognize and remember that Miami is not Saratoga, DelMar or Keeneland. It's not even Oaklawn. You will NEVER see more than 7-8,000 people at the track in South Florida, except 3-4 times a year for the huge racing days. For a weekday card, whether it's at Calder in August or at Gulfstream in February, you are going to see 3,000 at the track. That's it. So, what's the point of having a huge open area that's useable for at most 3-4 days per year? Doesn't make sense. (By the way, I spent a couple hours sitting in the grandstand at Calder yesterday. I counted 13 people in the grandstand 5 minutes before the 4th race. Two or three were probably security, leaving 10-11 "fans" enjoying the June Calder sun!). Please do remember that nearly NOBODY will sit outside at the races at a Miami track from mid-May through September!
And here's another way to look at it. Ask yourself, "Would I build it again, right now, knowing what I now know?" The truth is that you could never build a facility as large as Aqueduct or Belmont again.
And, yes, I've been to Gulfstream, a couple dozen times, including several visits during it's "dark" season. It's a very nice place. I'll go often.
I suggest an experiment... Take someone who knows absolutely nothing about horse racing to two different racetracks on two different Wednesdays... Gulfstream in January and Belmont in June. See at which place they have the better experience!
just my 2 cents worth.