JC / Railbird

Track Notes Archive

A Day at ACRC

Reader Chris Garrity visited Atlantic City Race Course last week and reports on a day at the once-thriving racetrack, which may close permanently after this year.
My day at ACRC was interesting. I found that my memories of the old place weren’t quite accurate — I think it was because I had never been to another racetrack at the time (and I had only been there once). My day was also sad in a way, though, because even though the facility looks pretty down-at-the-heels, the work it needs is all cosmetic — the structure looks fine, and with a little bit of restoration it could be actually be a beautiful venue for horse racing. Just about everything in the building, from the seats in the grandstand to the teller windows to the rails around the walking ring, is original (built in 1946), and with a fresh coat of paint it is easy to imagine walking through the place and feeling like you were back in its 1950s glory days.

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Posted in Track Notes on May 11, 2005

Portland Meadows’ Uncertain Future

“Scott Daruty, Toronto-based Magna’s chief US counsel, said Magna, which has already invested millions into the Meadows facilities since purchasing it in 2000, doesn’t want to fully subsidize the track. ‘We’ve invested and operated at a loss for a number of years, and we’re not going to do that any more,’ he said.” Government and business leaders have lots of ideas for the track if it closes — ideas like big box stores and industrial development. Lose a track, gain a Wal-Mart? How horrible. (MSNBC)

Posted in Track Notes on May 2, 2005

ACRC For Sale

The Atlantic City Race Course mini-meet opens today amid reports that it will be sold to a camping superstore outfit. (Trentonian)
Reader Chris Garrity writes in to say: “It looks like this year almost certainly will be the last. The area around ACRC is the fastest growing in the state of New Jersey; it’s close to Atlantic City and less than an hour from Philadelphia. And because of the Atlantic City Expressway, it’s a gateway to Jersey Shore towns both north and south. A peculiarity in that part of the world is that there are more bait shops than there are gas stations: the area is densely concentrated with recreational fishermen. It makes sense, then, that the outdoor giant Cabela’s would be interested in opening a shop there, and that when they started looking for a big piece of land for development, the 250 acres of ACRC property would be at the top of the list.”
It’s true that the ACRC’s glory days are long gone. The track has been holding four-day meets (the minimum number of live racing days necessary to keep its license) in recent years and keeps most of the grandstand closed up (homeless people and skateboarding kids have made more use of it lately than racing fans), but it’s still sad news that the ACRC, like Suffolk Downs and Hollywood Park, is opening this spring for what may well be its last year of racing.

Posted in Track Notes on April 29, 2005

It’s All About the Up-sell

“The roiling sea of humanity that turns the Preakness Stakes infield into one of the biggest beer bashes in the country will be joined by upscale patrons at Pimlico Race Course this year.
“Taking a cue from other professional sports that increasingly cater to the wealthy, Magna Entertainment, which operates Pimlico, will offer new corporate packages, sponsorships and ticketing that emphasize luxury and exclusivity for the May 21 race. ‘Like a lot of other professional sports, we see an opportunity to up-sell,’ said Jim Gagliano, Magna’s executive vice president of Maryland racing operations. ‘This is the Super Bowl of racing in this region. We’re trying really hard to create opportunities for people to move into more comfortable settings.’
“Gagliano said revelers on the 35-acre infield will have virtually the same amount of space as in the past but they will lose most of their prime view of the homestretch for the second leg of racing’s Triple Crown. They can see the horses go around on the back side of the track but will watch the finish on scoreboard screens.” (Washington Post)
Related: Gary West pens an open letter to Magna chief Frank Stronach. “Can you lead this sport, and do you and your minions have any idea how to run a racetrack?” (Star-Telegram)

Posted in Track Notes on February 26, 2005