Wow, are you guys delusional.
Umm, does anybody remember how Brunetti ran this place a thoroughbred track? Among other things, the man was on the bleeding edge of extortionate takeout, WAY before anybody else. He has no interest in racing for racing's sake. I realize this is now more or less true of CDI and the ruins of Magna as well, but this whole farce is designed to get him a casino and nothing more. The idea of Hialeah as a "spa meet" is theoretically appealing (and well over a couple of decades old), but impossible as a practical matter. Brunetti cannot work with ANYONE, ever--he never has, over several decades. The only way it is even possible is if either (a) Hialeah and Gulfstream fall under common ownership, which is extraordinarily unlikely, or (b) the state of Florida "re-regulates" racing dates, which also seems unlikely and which would be a graft-filled invitation to disaster. You also cannot change the fact that Hialeah is located in an area where tourists--who would have to be the bread and butter of a "spa meet"--will not go. In truth there is nothing wrong with the area where Hialeah is located, other than pain in the ass traffic. But most tourists are your typical American (or Canadian) doughballs, who assume that if an area has most of its commercial signage en Espanol then it must be "dangerous".
Brunetti probably will get his "fig leaf" thoroughbred meeting so he can open his casino. It will be as of much significance to racing as the Atlantic City race meet, and that's it. The rest of this talk is just old farts living in the past.
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