9,000 job applications and a Flamingo included.

re: 9,000 job applications and a Flamingo included.

js444 — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 23:39:21 GMT

I rode the train from louisville ky to Hialeah park in 1946 with my mothers horse Harriet Sue who finished 2 in the kentucky oaks. I have just turned 89 years old and I am a horse trainer and would love to win one more race at the Grand Dam of Racing Hialeah Park.

re: 9,000 job applications and a Flamingo included.

Wanda — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 21:38:53 GMT

Hey mister you need a new topic for the week or were you on a holiday?

re: 9,000 job applications and a Flamingo included.

aspradling — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 21:07:57 GMT

Hi Wanda!

Zortman: Thanks so much, what a great find and testament!

re: 9,000 job applications and a Flamingo included.

Zortman — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 17:59:58 GMT

Read this little tidbit about the Flamingo stakes and Paul Tibbetts, the pilot who flew the ENOLA GAY (the plane that dropped the BOMB).

www.acepilots.com/usaaf_tibbets.html

re: 9,000 job applications and a Flamingo included.

Wanda — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 16:16:14 GMT

Hialeah Native: I hear you. I've been to all 3 you mentioned also Pompano and the neighborhood around Gulfstream is kind of scary. I'm from Calgary, Alberta and work for the Calgary Ex and Stampede and the area around it was very bad (inner city) until the Stampede bought up all the crack houses, tore them down and that land is now part of their 10 year plan. The area is looking better every year, businesses are putting money into it, the city and CE&S are planting trees etc. If the support is there you can do it.

re: 9,000 job applications and a Flamingo included.

Wanda — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 16:05:09 GMT

sarcsm1:When were you galloping there? I rubbed a nice horse that held the 6F track record there his name was Intercontinent.He was brought up to Canada and held 3 track records at Assiniboia Downs,5 1/2,6 and 7F.

re: 9,000 job applications and a Flamingo included.

sarcsm1 — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 18:26:52 GMT

I was astarry eyed teenager starting in racing my first winter at Hialeah. As an exercise rider, there was no better place or more beautiful track. It wasn't just the middle dates that made it the winter place to be, but the beautiful facility with giant palms, old beauganvillas, the flamingos, and a horsepath covered with a canopy of trees. It was a great and safe surface. Gulfstream has never achieved the ambiance and stature Hialeah had in her day. There are rr tracks that run next to it from the days when the horses came down by train and owners had private train cars. I galloped horses there one year and I was the first horse on the track all season. As I rounded the clubhouse turn on a horse for Penna and the Phipps stable, the track was covered with flamingos that hadn't had to move since the previous spring. As I passed the 7/8 pole the flock of flamingos split in two as the birds started to flee and it was like riding through a parting sea of pink birds. It is a moment that has stuck in my mind ever since as one of my greatest moments in racing. I love Hialeah, and I hope she can be reborn,just as I now race in Ca and am very sad at the impending closure of Hollywood, which is also beautiful, and can never be replaced if it is torn down.

Swartzenegger needs to pass slots

re: 9,000 job applications and a Flamingo included.

aspradling — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:24:48 GMT

Thank you Hialeah Native for that great write up on living around the track. I am very excited for your mother and fellow residents near the park.

re: 9,000 job applications and a Flamingo included.

Hialeah Native — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 03:13:27 GMT

I was born and raised in Hialeah - 10 minutes from this wonderful racetrack. I passed the stables every morning on my way to school for eight years. I cried when they were torn down and when the racetrack closed I turned my back on horse racing. I've only recently begun to get back into it and it was the rumors of a possible resurrection of Hialeah Park that made me get back into it.

Of all the comments on this blog, only one is from a native Hialeah resident. This track is DEEPLY loved by the locals. Everyone feels that the city's survival and revival is intricately tied to that track. Yes, the area around it could use some sprucing up but I take offense with those on this blog who call it 'dangerous' and 'crime-ridden' and that 'they wouldn't walk the streets at night'. My mother still lives there and I visit her very regularly. That area is no different than any economically struggling neighborhood. Yes, there is crime but it's no different than that around Tampa Bay Downs, Calder or Gulfstream. Their areas just look a little nicer because many of the buildings around Hialeah are so much older.

The city of Hialeah is buzzing with excitement over it's Grand Dame re-opening and the city hasn't been that excited and galvanized in a long time. It's reopening will strengthen the neighborhood. The city is already allocating grant money to help residents fix up their homes and businesses. There are already plans to spruce up the landscaping in the neighborhoods around the park. All of this is bringing back a lot of pride to the residents of Hialeah and especially those who live in the shadow of that great racetrack.

There were many mistakes made in the managing of Hialeah Park during it's "fall" and I'm not going to waste time pointing fingers. Everyone here has the information to debate those endlessly. However, unless you LIVE there, I would refrain from passing judgment on the neighborhood and it's ability to rebound because you just don't have a clue.

I truly believe there is a great chance for this track to be successful again. If it means they have to bring in casino games, so be it... more jobs is the way I see it. Good luck to Hialeah Park! I look forward to cruising down it's palm lined entrance road, enjoying the flamingos and standing before the stunning statue of Citation that struck me with such awe as a child.

re: 9,000 job applications and a Flamingo included.

sweet terchi — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 17:04:54 GMT

Good news! Not only is a track saved but a lot of people will have jobs!! A lot of great memories about Hialeah posted here!

re: 9,000 job applications and a Flamingo included.

GAMBLER911 — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 17:55:02 GMT

HABASHEE.....you hit it right on the head as well since so many people left dade county through the years and headed north to broward-palm beach-martin counties..hialeah is a difficult drive to say the least for people considering a day at the track,metro rail built a stop right at the track which is convenient.....but as i stated the neighborhood the crime and everything associated with it chased people away to suburbia...someone mentioned quarter horses in one of the post above what a flop idea for east coast horse players...pompano tried a quarter horse meeting one winter they averaged about 300 fans a night,it was a flop to say the least.....hialeah should never reopen under the guise of becoming a slot machine palace....

re: 9,000 job applications and a Flamingo included.

jamie — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 22:55:43 GMT

nothing will ever be the same as it was,kind of like your first sweetheart,hialea,willalways be asweet memory.racing is dying,we need new younger blood in our game. that is for another topic. unfortunately racetracks need these casinos.maybe we need a commisioner.go out and bet two bucks

re: 9,000 job applications and a Flamingo included.

habashee — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 16:34:11 GMT

I went first to Hialeah in 1965 when i was 15. The reason Hialeah ruled then was that it permanently was given the prime middle dates among the three tracks.. and these dates coincided with the peak of tourist season. As the neighborhood deteriorated, Gulfstream made the case that they would get more handle if they had the dates and eventually they won that argument and rotated them and Hialeah fell as the tourist traffic really moved up from Miami Beach to Ft Lauderdale and the riots in Liberty City pretty much spelled doom for Hialeah. It is widely regarded as the most beautiful track in the country and always has been with only Saratoga and Santa Anita mentioned in the same breath

re: 9,000 job applications and a Flamingo included.

aspradling — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 14:40:00 GMT

Thanks for the continued varying opinions and insight, I have learned so much and am hoping the grounds are restored with pristine.

needler: no offense taken =) no worries

gambler: just for future reference, all caps are hard to read for most, maybe turn off caps lock, but thanks for the counter points and I hope the new owners are diligent. Here's to hope, eh

re: 9,000 job applications and a Flamingo included.

GAMBLER911 — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 11:11:53 GMT

I STARTED GOING TO HIALEAH IN THE EARLY SEVENTIES EVERY WINTER FOR TWO-THREE WEEKS MY VACATIONS WERE PLANNED AROUND IT....I USED TO SIT UP IN THE CLUBHOUSE AND "JIMMY THE GREEK "SNYDER AND THE LATE "PETE AXTHELM USED TO SIT NEXT TO ME..AS SOON AS THERE TELEVISION JOBS AND THE SUPER BOWL WAS OVER THEY BOTH WERE DEGENERATES AND AT THE TRACK EVERYDAY...I GAVE THE GREEK AN 11/ 1 SHOT ONE DAY IN A 7 FURLONG RACE THAT CLOSED DOWN THE STRETCH AND BLEW BY THE FIELD..PETE PLAYED IT THE GREEK SHOOK HIS HEAD..HE SAID HOW THE HELL DID YOU COME UP WITH THAT ONE..I SAID JIMMY THE HORSE RAN THE LAST QUARTER IN HIS PREVIOUS RACE AT 6 FURLONGS IN 23 2/5THS. TODAY WE GOT THE EXTRA FURLONG EASY GAME....JOHN BRUNETTI WHEN HE REOPENED THE TRACK DID A VERY POOR JOB IN MY OPINION HE LET A TRACK KNOWN FOR ITS AMBIENCE TO GO DOWN THE TUBES IN DISREPAIR...HE WOULDNT EVEN PUT A FRESH COAT OF PAINT ON IT AND THE PLACE WAS A TOTAL FLOP....IF THE TRACK REOPENS DUE TO ITS LOCATION AND SUB-PAR CHEAP RACING IT WILL BE A FLOP AGAIN...THERE IS ZERO HOPE FOR THIS RACETRACK....SORRY GUYS THE GLORY DAYS ARE LONG GONE AS IS THE CASE FOR MOST TRACKS IN AMERICA...THERES ONLY ONE GEM LEFT IN THE ENTIRE RACING INDUSTRY AND THATS SARATOGA...GOOD LUCK HIALEAH WILL BE A TOTAL BUST.TRUST ME ON THAT.....

re: 9,000 job applications and a Flamingo included.

needler in Virginia — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 15:49:00 GMT

OH, HELL! My apologies.....ADAM, not Jason. Sorry!

re: 9,000 job applications and a Flamingo included.

Larry Hale — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 15:47:33 GMT

Myself and and 5 other friends drove from Toronto to Marathon in the Keys and on our return trip we attended Hialeah and it was one of the most beautiful race tracks that I have attended. Sad to see her dormant for so many years. Northern Dancer won there and will always be a great memory of my visit there.

re: 9,000 job applications and a Flamingo included.

needler in Virginia — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 15:45:56 GMT

In a way, Things Don't Change, I must agree with your comments. HOWEVER, Hialeah was, and could be again, THE place to be.....right alongside Keeneland and Saratoga. There was a mystique and atmosphere at Hialeah, a feeling and a real flavor in the air (and DO NOT get nasty about air flavors). One always knew that it was a truly classy place for fans. Grounds, tall funny-looking pink birds, flowers, nice folks, tall funny-looking pink birds, GORGEOUS horses, elegant owners, dignified 'cappers, really UNdignified 'cappers, tall funny-looking pink birds, wonderful racing in a wonderful place. I miss it enormously, not the least for its' sheer elegance. All that said, its' location stinks and the surrounding area is, at best, mildly dangerous. Don't think I'd make a habit of wandering around it at night, either. If slots are the only way to open it again, then so be it (she said grumpily), but its' rejuvenation just MIGHT help clean up the area a bit (she said naively). It would just be a damned shame to lose that beautiful place, and I'm glad that someone is trying to keep it alive.

Jason, just go look at it sometime and you can see what once was.....and might be again.

Cheers, and safe trips to all.

re: 9,000 job applications and a Flamingo included.

merrywriter — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 22:15:27 GMT

Just the beautiful sound of its name fit the descriptions of Hialeah.

I never got there. But just watching the races on TV with those flamingos in the middle was a treat. I always thought Hollywood needed them. The birds themselves created the popularity of the Flamingo.

After gardening for 40 years and seeing pictures of it, I can say the track and all around it was a masterpiece in landscape architecture. How much of the landscaping is left? People don't realize the tropical paradise Florida once was, i.e. the old Cypress Gardens.

Hialeah's beauty made people want to go there, but of course horse racing was a more popular sport then also. The incessant sound of slot bells and blinking lights will do nothing to enhance horse racing which is an outside sport. A day at the races. A day for the birds.

re: 9,000 job applications and a Flamingo included.

Things Don't Change — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 00:41:46 GMT

While, I agree with the comments about the beauty of Hialeah, the underlying reasons for Hialeah's demise haven't changed.

Mr. Brunetti is only proceeding with this to open a Casino.

The racing will NEVER be what it was in its hayday.

re: 9,000 job applications and a Flamingo included.

Burton DeWitt — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 22:33:05 GMT

Please fix this error. The Flamingo Stakes was a Grade I "in its day," but a Grade III when last ran in 2001. The "in its day" implies when the race was at its peak, and it was at its peak until the first time Hialeah closed in the 1990s. Therefore, it makes sense that the race was bigger than the Florida Derby, considering it was held after it and still long enough before the Derby to be an important major prep race.

re: 9,000 job applications and a Flamingo included.

RobfromBMore — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 21:10:02 GMT

Great and informative comments from many knowledgeable horse racing fans from Florida. Great to hear about the interest in the great Hialeah. I am 43 and living in Maryland. I can't say I visited Hialeah even in the 1980's. Hialeah sounds like a paradise as Keeneland is today. Let's hope if they get back Hialeah to running it will done right. Mr. Halsey Minor was the multi-millionaire from California who wants to re-open Hialeah. Nice to hear so many great historical comments from so many passionate fans.

re: 9,000 job applications and a Flamingo included.

joe — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 18:52:11 GMT

I miss the name Seattle Slew in these memories. His three year old debut was an eye popper, followed with a Flamingo win which-on the far turn-saw him open a double digit lead. I was at some crowded race years ago, and I overheard two women recall the bigger crowd for Slew's Flamingo. The great horse is very much part of this track's history.

re: 9,000 job applications and a Flamingo included.

Carlos' Dagger — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 17:34:03 GMT

Yup, Hialeah/Flamingo Stakes were big-time back in the day.Hopefully they both can get that status back and trump Gulfstream's ridiculously speed-favoring Talladega-esq track.

To tedbbjr: since when do horses get sent to Cali. to "run against lesser competition?"....that's ludacris and far-fetched.

re: 9,000 job applications and a Flamingo included.

berttheclock — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 17:13:13 GMT

Strange - Hollywood Park is about close and Hialeah is making a comeback. When Richard Dreyfuss was planning the movie "Let It Ride", he was going to use Hollywood Park. However, for various financial reasons, he switched the setting to Hialeah. A track buddy told me this - He was one of the finest "stoopers" in the land - Once, he was featured in the DRF for an upcoming Breeders Cup at SA - He spent quite some time with Dreyfuss showing him his "socker" foot work flipping tickets. He never reached down for a worthless ticket. Dreyfuss, for some reason, wrote him out of the movie.