Help Save Rillito Park!

[MonmouthParkJoe]

To the horse racing community,



As some of you may or may not be aware, Pima County officials are deliberating the fate of Rillito Park Race Track here in Tucson, Arizona. It is currently an issue that has been added to the agenda that will take place in January of 2016. The tentative winter opening date is scheduled for January 30th.

The Pima county officials are faced with the task of determining whether Rillito Park Race Track should be exclusively a soccer destination or a multi-use facility that would include horse racing.

If you were ever affiliated with Rillito Park Race Track, the Race Track Industry Program at the University of Arizona, the horse racing industry in general, or just a fan, I urge to you contact the Pima county officials at their email addresses listed below. It is imperative that we come together at this time. The potential closure will have both short term and long term effects that will be felt for years after this decision is made. Rillito Park employs many people in the town, supports the breeding industry, and serves as a learning lab for the future leaders of the horse racing industry.

I thank you all for your anticipated support in this matter.

sharon.bronson@pima.gov Supervisor District 3

ally.miller@pima.gov Supervisor District 1

ramon.valadez@pima.gov Supervisor District 2

richard.elias@pima.gov Supervisor District 5

ray.carroll@pima.gov Supervisor District 4

chh@pima.gov County Administrator, Chuck Huckelberry

robin.brigode@pima.gov Clerk of Court



Joe Longo

Graduate Student-University of Arizona-RTIP

longo@email.arizona.edu

[DeltaLover]

To the horse racing community,



As some of you may or may not be aware, Pima County officials are deliberating the fate of Rillito Park Race Track here in Tucson, Arizona. It is currently an issue that has been added to the agenda that will take place in January of 2016. The tentative winter opening date is scheduled for January 30th.

The Pima county officials are faced with the task of determining whether Rillito Park Race Track should be exclusively a soccer destination or a multi-use facility that would include horse racing.

If you were ever affiliated with Rillito Park Race Track, the Race Track Industry Program at the University of Arizona, the horse racing industry in general, or just a fan, I urge to you contact the Pima county officials at their email addresses listed below. It is imperative that we come together at this time. The potential closure will have both short term and long term effects that will be felt for years after this decision is made. Rillito Park employs many people in the town, supports the breeding industry, and serves as a learning lab for the future leaders of the horse racing industry.

I thank you all for your anticipated support in this matter.

sharon.bronson@pima.gov Supervisor District 3

ally.miller@pima.gov Supervisor District 1

ramon.valadez@pima.gov Supervisor District 2

richard.elias@pima.gov Supervisor District 5

ray.carroll@pima.gov Supervisor District 4

chh@pima.gov County Administrator, Chuck Huckelberry

robin.brigode@pima.gov Clerk of Court



Joe Longo

Graduate Student-University of Arizona-RTIP

longo@email.arizona.edu

Can you please explain why a horse racing fan needs to care about this race track?

Why it is good for the sport and the related gambling to keep this place open?

[BIGTKLO]

Why care about this racetrack? We should all care about racetracks closing. We should care about people losing jobs in this industry. How insensitive can one be to even ask why we should care about the closure of Rillito Park. Nice holiday spirit on your behalf.

[thespaah]

I am actually surprised the race track management degree program is still offered.
Who would actually WANT to go into the business.
If I were hired by a racing jurisdiction where the very continuation of doing business is at best, tenuous, I'd be firing off resumes everywhere except the race track industry.

[MonmouthParkJoe]

Most people experience the races at a certain age, and without tracks we cannot expect to have future fans or the support of the industry. I agree that we have too much racing, but Rillito is a special case. There isn't a saturation of race tracks in the southwest, and it is unique in that it is operated almost entirely by students.

As for entering the industry, each profession has its pros and cons. I love the industry and hope to make a positive impact. The fact you all are on this website speaks to you enjoying some aspect of it. It is something I am passionate about, so that's why I'm doing it. I spent 11 years in accounting and finance with my MBA in finance and my cpa. Great money, but hated what I did. When you do something you love you never work a day in your life. So I am ready for that.

[ronsmac]

To the horse racing community,



As some of you may or may not be aware, Pima County officials are deliberating the fate of Rillito Park Race Track here in Tucson, Arizona. It is currently an issue that has been added to the agenda that will take place in January of 2016. The tentative winter opening date is scheduled for January 30th.

The Pima county officials are faced with the task of determining whether Rillito Park Race Track should be exclusively a soccer destination or a multi-use facility that would include horse racing.

If you were ever affiliated with Rillito Park Race Track, the Race Track Industry Program at the University of Arizona, the horse racing industry in general, or just a fan, I urge to you contact the Pima county officials at their email addresses listed below. It is imperative that we come together at this time. The potential closure will have both short term and long term effects that will be felt for years after this decision is made. Rillito Park employs many people in the town, supports the breeding industry, and serves as a learning lab for the future leaders of the horse racing industry.

I thank you all for your anticipated support in this matter.

sharon.bronson@pima.gov Supervisor District 3

ally.miller@pima.gov Supervisor District 1

ramon.valadez@pima.gov Supervisor District 2

richard.elias@pima.gov Supervisor District 5

ray.carroll@pima.gov Supervisor District 4

chh@pima.gov County Administrator, Chuck Huckelberry

robin.brigode@pima.gov Clerk of Court



Joe Longo

Graduate Student-University of Arizona-RTIP

longo@email.arizona.eduI went there every Friday, Saturday and Sunday for the short period I lived in Tuscon. They had a fantastic track announcer for such a small track.

[v j stauffer]

Why care about this racetrack? We should all care about racetracks closing. We should care about people losing jobs in this industry. How insensitive can one be to even ask why we should care about the closure of Rillito Park. Nice holiday spirit on your behalf.

Let the guy ask a dam question!

Sheesh. :ThmbDown:

[AndyC]

Why care about this racetrack? We should all care about racetracks closing. We should care about people losing jobs in this industry. How insensitive can one be to even ask why we should care about the closure of Rillito Park. Nice holiday spirit on your behalf.

Do you patronize businesses who sell overpriced products because you care about the employees and their jobs?

[BIGTKLO]

I just hate to see racetracks close. That's it guys. Vic you want to give me a thumbs down you go right ahead.

[MonmouthParkJoe]

I just hate to see racetracks close. That's it guys. Vic you want to give me a thumbs down you go right ahead.
To each their own. If people don't agree then don't bother with it. However, is this post gets just one person to email them, then it has justified my reason for posting it. Merry Christmas and happy holidays everyone

[EMD4ME]

To each their own. If people don't agree then don't bother with it. However, is this post gets just one person to email them, then it has justified my reason for posting it. Merry Christmas and happy holidays everyone

I will write to them. With 1 less track you have less kids or teenagers or generation y's seeing racing.

You don't become a racing fan watching the derby on TV. You become one watching a live race, smelling the horse shit in the paddock and by breathing in the atmosphere at the track.

Most people forgot that and just want "contraction". :ThmbDown:

[EMD4ME]

To the horse racing community,



As some of you may or may not be aware, Pima County officials are deliberating the fate of Rillito Park Race Track here in Tucson, Arizona. It is currently an issue that has been added to the agenda that will take place in January of 2016. The tentative winter opening date is scheduled for January 30th.

The Pima county officials are faced with the task of determining whether Rillito Park Race Track should be exclusively a soccer destination or a multi-use facility that would include horse racing.

If you were ever affiliated with Rillito Park Race Track, the Race Track Industry Program at the University of Arizona, the horse racing industry in general, or just a fan, I urge to you contact the Pima county officials at their email addresses listed below. It is imperative that we come together at this time. The potential closure will have both short term and long term effects that will be felt for years after this decision is made. Rillito Park employs many people in the town, supports the breeding industry, and serves as a learning lab for the future leaders of the horse racing industry.

I thank you all for your anticipated support in this matter.

sharon.bronson@pima.gov Supervisor District 3

ally.miller@pima.gov Supervisor District 1

ramon.valadez@pima.gov Supervisor District 2

richard.elias@pima.gov Supervisor District 5

ray.carroll@pima.gov Supervisor District 4

chh@pima.gov County Administrator, Chuck Huckelberry

robin.brigode@pima.gov Clerk of Court



Joe Longo

Graduate Student-University of Arizona-RTIP

longo@email.arizona.edu

I commend you for this thread and post ! :ThmbUp:

[bello]

Rilito is one of the few tracks in the country I have not made it to. I actually passed right by it twice of the last couple of years going down to the live races in Sonoita AZ the last two years. Rillito meet closed just before that.

I actually am enamored by the horsemen and women who race for peanuts at these small tracks that are not supported by racinos. They do it for the love of the game, as I have witnessed in Sonoita and it is a dying phenomenon. Been to other fair tracks in AZ as well and they have disappeared. Senoita has a couple of day weekend meet on Derby weekend and it is as much fun for me as going to the Derby, even more. And the local community has figured out how to sustain the meet without State government assistance.

Though I believe in consolidation of track to some extent, not this one. There is a special need to keep these small track going that has been articulated so well by others in this thread. Thanks for the update and lets hope they continue to race,

[bello]

Let the guy ask a dam question!

Sheesh. :ThmbDown:

Classy post....very productive....added much to the discussion

[v j stauffer]

I just hate to see racetracks close. That's it guys. Vic you want to give me a thumbs down you go right ahead.


OK :ThmbDown:

[v j stauffer]

I just hate to see racetracks close. That's it guys. Vic you want to give me a thumbs down you go right ahead.

It's a given that we all hate racetracks closing.

Mine closed Dec. 22 2013. I was age 54 and planned, lord willing, to call there into my 70's at least.

Haven't called a race since.

I thought the guy asked a legitimate question.

[v j stauffer]

Classy post....very productive....added much to the discussion

Isn't this post exactly what you're accusing me of? :confused:

[bello]

Yes it is! Merry Christmas!

[barahona44]

Let the guy ask a dam question!

Sheesh. :ThmbDown:
Is the question about Hoover Dam or the Grand Coulee Dam?

[v j stauffer]

Is the question about Hoover Dam or the Grand Coulee Dam?

The classic musical Dam Yankee's :p

[andtheyreoff]

I am actually surprised the race track management degree program is still offered.
Who would actually WANT to go into the business.
If I were hired by a racing jurisdiction where the very continuation of doing business is at best, tenuous, I'd be firing off resumes everywhere except the race track industry.

Because, believe it or not, there's people who enjoy racing who want to help improve the game, and not watch it keep withering like a dying plant.

[Track Collector]

I think I have made it to Rillito for 3 weekends over the past 15 or so years. This is a nice local track, and I will go again sometime in the near future if they are still racing. I would even go more often if finances supported travel from Maryland.

I have followed this saga with interest over the past few weeks. First things looked pretty rosy for racing to continue of the next 5-10 years. Then all of a sudden things seem dire, with the opposition coming from those who ONLY interest is their own, that is, soccer.

A plan was worked out for both soccer and racing to co-exist, to the benefit of each other. Now some soccer folks want it all. :ThmbDown::ThmbDown::ThmbDown:

I am not against contraction, but places like Rillito Park are more like non-profits, and many folks would be impacted very negatively if they were to cease racing. It is grass roots places like Rillito that folks get introduced to racing too, so why should racing care that this long-running track and some potential new fans go away. :rolleyes:

Count me in to help where I can!

[thespaah]

Because, believe it or not, there's people who enjoy racing who want to help improve the game, and not watch it keep withering like a dying plant.
Look, I do not want to see tracks close, jobs lost, etc either. I am also realistic.
My comments are from a strictly business point of view.
The facts are these. There are racing facilities in deep trouble. Some may close.
No sense going through the list of those that have gone away in the last few years. Why kick the headstones over.
Many times I have posted my ideas along the lines of "what I would try to do If I were in charge of horse racing for a day".....
Newsflash.. I am a huge fan. I sit here in the buckle of the Bible Belt having to hold my nose and use these crappy off shore books that contribute nothing to US tracks( hate it) or driving 2.5 hours just to get to the nearest place to make a legitimate pari -mutuel wager ( now closed due to the VA horsemen) just to make some wagers. I am here a few times a week keeping up with the game and making damn sure I am informed about what i am commenting.

[Track Collector]

Posted on the Rillito Park Facebook page:

Opening date delayed until 02/13.
Ending date now 03/20.
Revised dates have been approved by AZ Racing Commission

01/19 --> Meeting with local Board of Directors to discuss EXTENSION of current racing contract. This is extremely important to secure a long-term agreement in order to secure future sponsors.

[johnhannibalsmith]

Thanks for the update. I thought for sure they had finally killed it once and for all by postponing approval to the point where its brutal to just get the necessary formalities (condition books, etc.) done on short notice and nearly as tough to draw people (horses, fans) on almost zero notice. Now if only they could locate a spot somewhere in desolate southern Arizona to put a few orange cones and drop orange peels other than that one parcel of land.

[HorsemenHeist]

While it really is too bad that tracks have to close since people are losing jobs, sometimes it ends up being a net positive.

Though Illinois racing may be practically dead, closing Balmoral and Maywood is a good thing for the sport of racing. To rid racing of the Johnston's, who let Maywood and Balmoral slip into oblivion on top of bribing the governor. If tracks that don't give a rat's ass about racing close, I really don't have a problem with it. We need people that care about racing to promote racing, not racinos who would rather have a slot machine where the finish line is located.

I am a young person that is keenly interested in a career in racing. Have a degree from a prestigious Pac12 university in the last 5 years, and yet I can't get a returned call from anyone in racing. I want to work in racing because it is something I'd be happy doing, even if the pay isn't the same. Racing really is an insiders sport, and that precludes better talent from outside the inner circle from breaking through.

I wish Rillito luck and hope they stay open.

[MonmouthParkJoe]

While it really is too bad that tracks have to close since people are losing jobs, sometimes it ends up being a net positive.

Though Illinois racing may be practically dead, closing Balmoral and Maywood is a good thing for the sport of racing. To rid racing of the Johnston's, who let Maywood and Balmoral slip into oblivion on top of bribing the governor. If tracks that don't give a rat's ass about racing close, I really don't have a problem with it. We need people that care about racing to promote racing, not racinos who would rather have a slot machine where the finish line is located.

I am a young person that is keenly interested in a career in racing. Have a degree from a prestigious Pac12 university in the last 5 years, and yet I can't get a returned call from anyone in racing. I want to work in racing because it is something I'd be happy doing, even if the pay isn't the same. Racing really is an insiders sport, and that precludes better talent from outside the inner circle from breaking through.

I wish Rillito luck and hope they stay open.

Update:

I spoke at the town hall and drummed up alot of interest. I met with the owner and GM the last couple days and we are pretty optimistic. I will be running all the financial aspects of things, CFO here I come.

And horsemen to speak to your point, I was in the same situation. Did my undergrad in accounting and math, got my MBA in finance, worked for about 11 years before taking the plunge to come to the RTIP program here at Arizona U. I tried for years to get into the industry but had no luck at all. I am working on my second masters here in the program and I can tell you it was easily the best thing I ever did and the only way I am making it in.

I have made a ton of connections, won a couple of awards, and should be able to go wherever I please when i am done. If you have any questions about the program, reach out to me. I reached out to a number of alumni from the program that gave me the kick in the ass to do it. If you are willing to take on the program, you will certainly be rewarded

[maliksealy210]

Update:

I spoke at the town hall and drummed up alot of interest. I met with the owner and GM the last couple days and we are pretty optimistic. I will be running all the financial aspects of things, CFO here I come.

And horsemen to speak to your point, I was in the same situation. Did my undergrad in accounting and math, got my MBA in finance, worked for about 11 years before taking the plunge to come to the RTIP program here at Arizona U. I tried for years to get into the industry but had no luck at all. I am working on my second masters here in the program and I can tell you it was easily the best thing I ever did and the only way I am making it in.

I have made a ton of connections, won a couple of awards, and should be able to go wherever I please when i am done. If you have any questions about the program, reach out to me. I reached out to a number of alumni from the program that gave me the kick in the ass to do it. If you are willing to take on the program, you will certainly be rewarded

I am up here in Maricopa but would happy to help in anyway I can. Just let me know how best to get a hold of you.

Thanks!