Tearing Down Hollywood Park

[delayjf]

Excellent article by Matt Hegarty in the Daily Racing Form

Great article KM. With all the budget issues in CA you would think the State would be jumping at the opportunity to get into the Gambling business. Instead they forfeit the lion share of the gambling profits to the Indian reservations. I'm thinking someone got paid. I can't believe the State employees’ unions would not push for CA to take up gambling as well - they know the state needs the money to keep up with their pensions.

I guess I'm a sentimental fool, but Hollywood Park was a monument of my handicapping life. They must have had tremendous overhead, not to be able to make money with three of the biggest wagering days (The Triple Crown) of the year occurring while they were running live.

I agree with you Ken, the location killed that track over the years. Build that track in the OC and it would be on par with SA.

I'm no expert on urban renewal, but if I had a million to spend on a Condo, I would not buy one in Inglewood on the approach end of one of the busiest airports in the world. Someone pointed out to me that urban renewal is successful in a lot of locations like NYC. Perhaps, and again I'm no expert on the subject. But I feel comparing urban renewal in NYC and Socal are apples to oranges.
NYC (especially Manhattan) are small in terms of acreage, there’s no place else to go if you want to stay in Manhattan. Socal is immense and spread out, with lots of desirable locations up and down the coast or in close proximity to the coast. Urban Renewal could revise Inglewood but I think it will take decades to do so. Maybe Inglewood will become a shopping destination for wealth foreigners who want to fly in and shop then fly out. I somehow don’t see the wealth in Hollywood and the OC making the trip.

My flag is at half mast.

[waytogo]

Lots of interesting posts on HOL. The strangest part of urban Renewal is that they will probably not only flatten the race track, but the surrounding high crime area which has been mentioned. Once that is completed then Inglewood may go back to its glory days of the 'place to live' and just the kind of area you would build a race track

[km]

Excellent discussion delay' and way'

I grew up in that area my parents lived and worked in Inglewood. Went to Kindergarten at Purche Ave. School in Gardena just a few miles away from the track. Hollywood Park was iconic in those days as much as Dodger Stadium. We moved to OC when I was 6, but they would still go the track with friends for many years.

Last night Candlestick Park in San Francisco also dropped the curtain and the 49ers have likely played their last game there. Anaheim Stadium may be going the same route as it was also built in the 60s. We see this transition over and over in sports now with a 20-30 year shelf life for most stadiums.

Los Al, Santa Anita and Del Mar have far more community support. They all have surrounding shopping areas already and are in high socio-economic suburban neighborhoods that would strongly oppose major development. Fairplex is fixed because it is part of the LA County Fair property and cannot be sold without a major political storm. So a consolidation of the horse racing in SoCal is a good thing. Without slots, the tracks will have to work harder to make the sport viable; and I think they will.

[Inglewood Flamingo]

Great article from last week by Tim Osterman

http://www.todaysracingdigest.com/blog/?p=727

[delayjf]

Anaheim Stadium may be going the same route as it was also built in the 60s

.

The Atlanta Braves are looking at building a new stadium, the one they have now is only 14 years old.
St. Louis's Bush stadium is a great example of renovating the old 1960 all purpose stadiums - Anaheim could do the same.

but the surrounding high crime area which has been mentioned.

Isn't that entire area including the surrounding cities a high crime area?

[tomcat]

All of that sounds like Hialeah. I really enjoyed the setting of the track, and of course the Flamingos.
The road to get there was scary...so scary, someone tried to get money to build a special road to the track. But, in the end Gulfstream won, turned the place into a slot machine store that has a little horse racing if you can find it.

We don't there any more.

[NWearner]

.

The Atlanta Braves are looking at building a new stadium, the one they have now is only 14 years old.
St. Louis's Bush stadium is a great example of renovating the old 1960 all purpose stadiums - Anaheim could do the same.


Isn't that entire area including the surrounding cities a high crime area?

Busch Stadium is not a renovation. It is an entirely new stadium, but has the same name as it's predecessor. Actually, it is known as Busch Stadium III.

[Gary Brous]

Hollywood Park Prop Bet

First street gang to monopolize drug trade in new Hollywood Park Housing Community?


Crypts -200

Bloods +150

[JMD]

Another Chapter...

Hollywood Park Grandstand Imploded This Morning...

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/h...racetrack.html

Not the last chapter in this saga as we wait to see whether or not the NFL decides to move forward with a stadium on this site.

[carl rasak]

Many attended memorable days at The track of the Lakes and Flowers...

First Match race between Indulto ..Buster Millrick's bullet sprinter and the top quarter horse in Calif.
Bobby Frankel schooling California trainers on how to claim and drop as a young New Yorker.
The Race calls of Harry Henson..." And there they go"
The Match race between Typecast and Convenience.
The Match Races between Chris Everett and Miss Muskat
J.O Tobin Running away from Seattle Slew
The dominance of Laffit Pincay
The Beauty of Bill Shoemakers rides.
The dominance of Charley Whittingham
The Stewards Nafu posting The wrong winner in a photo finish Between El Extrano and Knightlander resulting in a massive law suit.
The same steward robbing the winner Catarman for a slight brush over Eleven Stitches in the Gold Cup
Marge Everett Changing the wagering formats by introducing the Pick 6 ( copied from Tijuana's 5-10)
and bringing Multiple Exactas to the race cards.
Breeders Cup 1
Friday Night Racing
The Goose Girl
Day racing and walking to Laker and King Night Games at the Forum.
R.I.P. HollyPark

[km]

Gracias for that link JMD.

Oh man, those are great memories Carl, thanks for the list

Any of those that happened after 1976, I was there too. A fun place in the 1980s when they were at their peak with live racing and it was the #1 track in the nation for handle.

Harry Henson: "and there they go" with a voice that sounded like he gargled with nails. The Shoe, Toro on the Turf, and the Pirate Laffit and John Henry. Then onto a Laker game some nights with Chick Hearn, Magic and Kareem.

They would get 25,000 fans for harness racing on Friday and Sat. nights. On Thoroughbred Stakes weekends, they would draw 50,000+ all summer.

Thanks for the memories Hollywood Park.