Horse racing

Racing has a future in Texas

At least Texas racing has a future.

For two years, Lone Star Park languished in bankruptcy-bureaucratic limbo. Simple survival became the objective. Prospering, improving, progressing – Lone Star couldn’t afford such objectives and goals. But it can now.

Lone Star is suddenly in the hands of people who are actually interested in seeing both the sport and the racetrack prosper. The sale of Lone Star Park – by bankrupt Magna to Global Gaming Solutions of Oklahoma for $47.8 million -- was the best thing to happen to Texas horse racing since the Breeder’s Cup came here in 2004, perhaps since the racetrack opened for racing in 1997.

And, amazing as it seems, some opposed the sale. Or for those who understand Texas politics perhaps it wasn’t so amazing. But Allan Polunsky, the ex-officio member of the Texas Racing Commission representing the Public Safety Commission, actually voted against it – and, by the way, voting against the sale was tantamount to voting to close Lone Star and to kill Texas horse racing. The representative of the Comptroller’s office abstained from voting, clearly not supporting the sale. Nevertheless, at last week’s meeting in Austin, despite its ex-officio members, the Texas Racing Commission finally approved the sale of Lone Star Park, meaning the transfer of the lease and the license, and Monday the transaction was finalized. And so at least Texas racing has a future now, despite the bureaucrats.

Only the fanciful would suggest it’s a bright, gleaming future. Only the fanciful would imagine that politicians in Austin will one day ask themselves what’s best for the state. But at least Texas racing has a future.

And that future should be, almost certainly will be, better than the present. Texas racing, you’ve probably noticed, has become irrelevant. As purses have fallen, especially in comparison to those in neighboring states, and as horses and horsemen have fled the state, Texas racing has lost its heft, its significance, and the quality has evaporated, like the morning’s dew. Except for a few days, the quality has all but disappeared. Just look at Thursday’s program at Lone Star: Of the nine races, five are for maidens. And they’re not even good maidens. The only people interested in such racing are the participants – and perhaps masochistic handicappers.

“We want to take a good hard look at the racing product and see what we can do to improve it,” said John Elliott, the CEO of Global Gaming Solutions. “And we want to look at possible synergies with Remington Park.”

Global Gaming purchased Remington Park in late 2009 and began operating the Oklahoma City racetrack Jan. 1, 2010. Since then, Global has invested $15 million in the facility and basically turned everything around, with dramatic increases in handle, attendance and purses.

Global Gaming also owns and operates WinStar, one of the world’s largest casinos, where many top entertainers have performed in recent years. And so in terms of synergies and of bringing world-class entertainment to the area, Global Gaming, Elliott said, has many resources and considerable purchasing power.

Elliott said that almost immediately Global Gaming will start “looking at improvements” that can be made at Lone Star. “We don’t believe the simulcast facility (The Pavilion) there is up to speed,” Elliott said. “It’s not up to the standards expected for the Dallas market. It needs an overhaul.”

Lone Star’s stable area desperately needs attention. Many of the televisions in the grandstand and most off the betting machines are tired and need to be replaced. The new owners, Elliott said, “are going to move as quickly” as they can to make improvements.

At least Texas racing has a future that will almost certainly be a vast improvement on its recent past. And, frankly, the Dallas-Fort Worth market is so strong and the people here are so involved and interested in racing that a person doesn’t have to be fanciful but merely optimistic to think that racing at Lone Star could be relevant again.

 

Lone Star sold -- finally

The Texas Racing Commission today approved the transfer of ownership of Lone Star Park from Magna Entertainment to Global Gaming Solutions, which is owned by the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma, and Racing Partners of Texas, with Ricky Knox as the principal partner. The sale, for $47.8 million, had been approved by a Delaware bankruptcy court in October of 2009 and had been waiting for the racing commission's imprimatur ever since.

Today, the transfer was approved by a 7-1 vote, with one abstention. Representatives of the new and former owners are to meet Monday to finalize closing documents.

 

Impossible to cheer for Animal Kingdom

For me and, I suspect, for many, if not most, people in horse racing, Barry Irwin has made it impossible to cheer for Animal Kingdom or to find much joy in the horse's Kentucky Derby victory.

Yes, Animal Kingdom gave an outstanding performance, and as a lightly raced colt who's physically impressive he could go on to achieve much. He's exciting. And, yes, his trainer, Graham Motion, is universally respected and regarded as one of the game's good guys. But then there's Barry Irwin.

After the Derby, as has been reported in many places, when asked why he turned over all the horses in the Team Valor partnership to Motion, Irwin told NBC that he was "tired of other trainers lying" to him. How many trainers? "Plenty," Irwin said.

That's nice. In effect, he told a national audience that "plenty" of trainers are contemptible liars who can't be trusted. And, of course, if trainers can't be trusted, then how can the sport expect the trust of its fans and bettors?

Irwin's response is also telling because it reveals an uncommon level of self-absorption. When asking the question, Bob Neumeier no doubt expected, as did everyone listening, Irwin to launch into an encomium on the talents and horsemanship of Motion. But, no, Irwin made the question about him.

When learning of this, I couldn't help but wonder how Beverly and Bob Lewis might have responded. They won two Derbies, of course, with Silver Charm and Charismatic. Bob Lewis, who usually did most of the talking for the pair, was one of the most gracious owners ever to raise a trophy. And they were equally gracious in defeat.

Bob Lewis would have gone on praising Motion, as well as every trainer who ever had a horse for them, until Neumeier was forced to grab the microphone away from him. And Lewis would have continued with that theme, bringing in the jockey for his share of credit, too, in the post-Derby press conference. But Irwin, whose partnership had just won $1.4 million, used the post-Derby press conference to take an implicit poke at Churchill Downs.

If horse racing has gone from Beverly and Bob Lewis to Barry Irwin, then the game is indeed in trouble. 

Post-Derby impressions

LOUISVILLE -- Fog-encrusted, this morning at Churchill Downs felt strange: strange anyway for a day after a Kentucky Derby. Something was missing, or at least scarce.

The morning felt peculiar because of a paucity of excuses. The Louisville air is generally thick with them after a Kentucky Derby. Excuses come up with the sunrise; they're served with breakfast, part of a coffee slurry; everybody has one or a even a few, it seems, except the winner, who, of course, doesn't need one.

But that wasn't the case with the 137th Derby. Archarcharch and Comma To The Top were injured. Archarcharch was to have surgery today. And Pants On Fire bled internally. But of the usual excuses -- wide trip, bumping, unmanageable traffic -- there were few. Dialed In didn't break well, but he never does. Nehro had to race wide, but not significantly wider than the winner. Nobody could say that with a better trip he might have been there to pose for a picture with Animal Kingdom at the wire. And so the morning felt strange, but in a good way, like silk.

Animal Kingdom was best Saturday. Although the pace was moderate, he blew by horses in the stretch. He left no doubt about his superiority Saturday. And although the Derby horses as a group have been maligned, and justifiably, the race was strong. Or at least stronger than many might have expected. Because Animal Kingdom is so lightly raced -- the Derby was only his fifth start -- and because there are many outstanding 3-year-olds who yet could become prominent players in the division over the next few months, this could still become an exciting season.

Still, the promising 3-year-olds I have in mind, such as Bind and Dominus, probably won't arrive at their best until late summer or early fall. Until then, what will be Animal Kingdom's competition?

We celebrate the Triple Crown winners, and rightly so, for it's the sport's ultimate challenge to sweep the three jewels, but an important factor in the achievement always has been the quality of the horses defeated. Would Omaha have swept the Triple Crown in 1935 if he had to meet an Easy Goer in the Belmont? Probably not. Would Easy Goer have swept the Triple Crown if not for that black streak of a racehorse from California, Sunday Silence? Probably.

Anyway, it's on to the Preakness, and although some of these 3-year-olds might catch up with him down the road, Animal Kingdom, at least for the moment, appears best of the group. This morning, Animal Kingdom was doing well, according to his trainer, Graham Motion, who said that unless something completely unexpected arises, the Derby winner will make his next start at Pimlico. Tuesday, he's to leave for the Fair Hill Training Center, which is very near PImlico.

As for Nehro, the Derby runner-up, he would seem unlikely for the Preakness. His owner, Ahmed Zayat, said, "If you looked at him right now, you'd think you'd be out of your mind to run in Baltimore. It's more probable we'd aim for the Belmont, but I guess we are still possible for the Preakness."

Nehro, of course, has run three times in six weeks, finishing second in the Louisiana, Arkansas and Kentucky Derbies. And he's not a big or robust horse. His trainer, Steve Asmussen, said he was especially pleased with Nehro's performance because the colt ran exceptionally well even though the Derby didn't set up for him. In other words, Nehro showed his class.

Trainer Kathy Ritvo said she expects to run Mucho Macho Man in the Preakness. A late foal, he could improve significantly over the next weeks and months. And trainer Nick Zito suggested he'll look at the Preakness for Dialed In, who finished eighth as the Derby favorite. Shackleford, too, is aimed at Baltimore.