Gulfstream's business soars

[karlskorner]

For those few on this board that were burying the "new" Gulfstream Park a portion of an article from today's DRF.

" Throughout the first 15 days of the 2007 session (Jan3-21) ontrack handle on live racing was $11.9 million, up 32 PERCENT from the same period a year ago, while the handle on incoming simulcast signals during live racing was up 90 PERCENT from 2006. Overall, the total ontrack handle is $22.3 million, compared with $14.5 million from last year, an increase of nearly 54 PERCENT. " (end)

Tomorrow ( Sat. ) the SUNSHINE MILLIONS, 10 races, 122 entries (full fields)
Be There !

[PlanB]

That's GREAT news.

[BIG RED]

were they under construction at the beginning of last meet?

[karlskorner]

Everything was done, 05 they were still constructing. The only big change this year was moving the saddeling area to the paddock area ( very nice, from th 2nd floor you can view both saddeling and paddock). The only problem this year was with off simulcasting because of the dispute between NY OTB and the horsemen, ( OTB biggest customer ) was settled last week, should show a huge increase now.

[Drew]

What Karl forgets is when your business is SO FAR in the basement anything is a positive. Business is still not at Pre-Magna levels yet but nobody mentions that.

[Ron]

What Karl forgets is when your business is SO FAR in the basement anything is a positive. Business is still not at Pre-Magna levels yet but nobody mentions that.

Is that true?

[cj]

What Karl forgets is when your business is SO FAR in the basement anything is a positive. Business is still not at Pre-Magna levels yet but nobody mentions that.

Never let facts get in the way of the Stronach/Karl lovefest. Gulfstream is nowhere near pre-Magna levels, despite all these wonderful "improvements".

[karlskorner]

Gentllemen..........GP is only into it's 3rd week, with NY OTB back in the fold look for a big improvement. The Magna/NBC Sunshine Millions was well done.

Thats how you become a Billionaire, you dig a hole and fill it up with money.

[maxwell]

I was watching the SSMillions from GP today on the tube. The paddock looks just incredible, but the grandstand reminds me of the deck of an aircraft carrier?

[karlskorner]

Yours " Business is still not at a Pre-Magna levels yet, but nobody mentions that "

They took the entire plant and leveled it to the ground, rippped up both tracks and started it all over again, all within a period of 2 years ( in spite of 2 serious hurricanes in 05 ). And you want them to be in the same positions as Pre-Magna. What was the Pre-Magna level ? A 75 year old building held together by spit and glue ( like most race tracks throughout the country ). I don't think I have a love affair with Magna/Stonach as suggested, but I sure do approve of Magna/Stroanch doing something about the "future" of horseracing. Do yourself a favor, take a couple of days out of your life and visit GP. This isn't the race track of your father/grandfather or what everybody is use to, it's a $200 million dollar plant pointed toward a new look for horseracing.

[Suff]

I was supposed to be at Gulf Stream this weekend. I had to bale. Could'nt afford the time or $$'s.


That said.. I have some friends down there who called me today from Silks.

They said the racing is great, the place looks great, its 70 degrees and tonight they're going to Miami to get drunk and look at Girls?

What's the problem? Magna stock is down?

Who cares?

Drunk, 70 degrees, Girls, Miami Beach....Horse racing

What sort of Country are you guys angling for? Because that sounds like a pretty darn nice country to me???


*

[BIG RED]

what city/town is GP in?

[Suff]

what city/town is GP in?

Hallandale beach. AKA Ft. Lauderdale

a jump and a skip to Aventura, and 30 minutes from Hot Hot Miami

[BIG RED]

i just checked thx

[karlskorner]

Let me the first to welcome you to the LAND OF MILK AND HONEY. Every dream you ever had can be realized here.

[BIG RED]

Looks like I founf hollywood dog track, but cant find gulfstream?

fooling with google sat..

[BIG RED]

I found it, old pictures, construction

[Suff]

Let me the first to welcome you to the LAND OF MILK AND HONEY. Every dream you ever had can be realized here.

Enough already. South Florida is nice 50 days a year.

I could get on it good. Its easy.

A few thingy dingys that bother me.

Tons and tons of OLD people!! Old looking to. The sun does it.

Can't get a cab driver that has any idea where he's going because everyone of them is from Haiti; has been in Florida for exactly 9 months. Driving a cab until they get arrested , deported, or both.

Its California -lite. No one is from there.... they're just there. Everyone who's burned bridges elsewhere goes to South Florida to start over.

This thread belongs in general racing btw.

[the little guy]

Everything was done, 05 they were still constructing. The only big change this year was moving the saddeling area to the paddock area ( very nice, from th 2nd floor you can view both saddeling and paddock). The only problem this year was with off simulcasting because of the dispute between NY OTB and the horsemen, ( OTB biggest customer ) was settled last week, should show a huge increase now.

This is simply inaccurate. I went to Gulfstream last year for the Sunshine Millions which was over three weeks after the meet began. The 3rd floor dining room opened ON Sunshine Millions Day. The entire second floor was not open at that point and nor were the high roller areas upstairs. Furthermore, Gulfstream themselves claimed that they have opened more betting windows this year. The very simple fact is that Gulfstream was not ready when they opened in 2006 and of course their ontrack handle is higher this year.

If you pepper your defenses of Gulfstream with blatant inaccuracies it gives you no credibility.

[richrosa]

I've been to the new Gulfstream a few times. In fact I was just there last week. The improved paddock is incredible. I got to see it for the first time on the inside as an owner with some friends. Everything about this place is a MAJOR improvement and an example of how to design a racino except for two things. There needs to be more free seating on the outside (its FREE to get in), and I miss the stretch outside restaurant. There is no outside dining.

[PaceAdvantage]

What's the problem? Magna stock is down?

You ain't kidding it's down:

[Zaf]

Ouch !!!

Z

[karlskorner]

I guess you are desperate to prove a point since you brought up the following:

1. The 3rd floor dinning room was not ready until SM day last year, what has that got
to do with the horse racing out front ?
2. The Casino and Serenta Room ( a bar ) on the 2nd floor were not ready
during your short visit last year, had nothing to do with horseracing out
front.
3. GP added 70 tellers on the 1st floor this year for a simple reason,
business is booming at GP.

PA is going to need to put up a new graph by the end of the meet.

[cj]

He never said the things he mentioned and that you confirmed had anything to do with the racing. They certainly, however, affected handle, which was the point of your initial post. At least Magna, even if they had to spin, finally had something positive to announce.

[the little guy]

I guess you are desperate to prove a point since you brought up the following:

1. The 3rd floor dinning room was not ready until SM day last year, what has that got
to do with the horse racing out front ?
2. The Casino and Serenta Room ( a bar ) on the 2nd floor were not ready
during your short visit last year, had nothing to do with horseracing out
front.
3. GP added 70 tellers on the 1st floor this year for a simple reason,
business is booming at GP.

PA is going to need to put up a new graph by the end of the meet.


I'm not desperate to prove anything. What is easy to prove is that you are " loose with the truth " and that's what I was doing here. You claimed Gulfstream was finished at the beginning of the meet last year, as by claiming that you felt it strengthened your defense of the track's handle increasing on-track this year as some sign that the public was catching on, when in fact it is simply due to the plant being finished and usable.

The tellers were added BEFORE the meet this year because there was a HUGE problem last year with people getting their bets in due to both incompetent tellers and insufficient tellers. Saying they were added this year because " business is booming at GP " is an out and out lie.

Does your nose grow when you write these posts?

[Murph]

Does your nose grow when you write these posts?WOW!!! LIAR has been called!
That's perfect, because I was starting to doze off.

[classhandicapper]

If you put aside all the emotional feelings about Magna and the timing of when certain things were done and why, the bottom line is apparent.

Is GP a better place to go to watch and bet races (both live and simulcast) and is the overall atmosphere better or worse right now than it was?

I went to the old GP to see the BC, but I haven't been to the new one yet.

[point given]

If you put aside all the emotional feelings about Magna and the timing of when certain things were done and why, the bottom line is apparent.

Is GP a better place to go to watch and bet races (both live and simulcast) and is the overall atmosphere better or worse right now than it was?

I went to the old GP to see the BC, but I haven't been to the new one yet.

Many moons here, old and new. The old had a ractrack atmosphere, the new a casino atmosphere. Racing was the only focus at the old, casino and restaurants are the focus now with half a dozen Super Saturdays. It used to be a park like atmosphere, now its dancing waterfountains. The old had plenty of seats and poor simulcasting facilities. the new has good simulcasting facilities and only 900 trackside seats. They keep juggling the rooms of the new facility around as things don't work out. It is a constant work in progress. When you are in a seat trackside, there is insufficient legroom to let someone pass, constant getting up and down. To bet, one must go thru the restaurant to get to a window, BUT, there are roving tellers with portable machines to bet with , a good thing . they reduced the seating charges for weekdays to $3, 10 saturdays, 7 sundays. I don't go weekends, but broke down and got one for Donn day next saturday which should be an excellent day of racing. I plan to stock my online account so I can call bets in as it will be a zoo trying to bet there.

On a whole I don't like it. Its not a racetrakers race track. They misplanned alot of things and you wonder what in hell they were thinking. The 1 1/8 races , very poor planning when early 3 yo horses only want 1 1/16, the outside post are death. The rescheduling of the 3yo stakes races, with the fl derby April 1, as a last prep for the derby, poor. How can a trainer plan on 1. 5 weeks out (except Barbaro), and 2. getting an outside post which compromises the horses chances. its all been very disappointing . But you make do with it and wait for saratoga. ;)

[CryingForTheHorses]

I think the new GP is very nice.As a horseman and being able to run there during the premier dates and winning one 2 weeks ago was a lifelong dream. I have been at GP since I was 16 and have seen all the changes. I used to sail the sailboats clean the grandstand after races and hotwalk in the mornings.To see so many grumble about change boggles my mind.FS has done a great job trying to please the people.

[the little guy]

FS has done a great job trying to please the people.


And an even better one alienating them.

But, hey, if you like it Tom, I'm genuinely happy for you. You certainly have to spend a lot more time there than I do.

[Valuist]

Could GP have a worse web site? I had to jump thru hoops just to find scratches. Talk about putting horse racing in the background.

[OTM Al]

The web site wasn't great before and now they've really butchered it to be sure. As to the track itself, I went to the old one, I went to the tent meet and I was there again last year. I like it just fine. There are horses there. I can bet on them. Its warm. The rest is just window dressing and I could care less. I'm just sad I can't be down there next weekend for the Donn, though I think I'm going to try to make it for Fountain of Youth weekend. Maybe I'm just someone who likes to see the good in things, but I really enjoyed myself every time I've been there, new and old.

[point given]

Could GP have a worse web site? I had to jump thru hoops just to find scratches. Talk about putting horse racing in the background.

Agreed, it is a terrible website now for horseracing which Magna maintains is its number one product. In the day, (before Magna) it was THE Best racetrack site on the web along with Delmar and Keeneland.

Found this handy today to see who will be in the Donn Day card races. There are 6 stakes races. On the GP wesite first go to Racing , go down to Horsemen, then go to stakes schedule, scroll down to the date you wish and they will have stakes nominations, past performances of the nominees, and weight assignments. A couple of the stakes on Donn day have short fields while others look great.
FYI - Mott horses, After Market will run in an allowance race at GP wednesday, and Gun Salute is in an allowance at Tampa tuesday, tomorrow.

Here's the link to the GP page http://www.gulfstreampark.com/RACING/HORSEMEN/Stakes+Schedule/