Thoroughbreds Return to Hazel Park

[ArlJim78]

This caught me by surprise, thoroughbreds running again at the Hazel Park bullring. As a teenager I lived only blocks away in the late seventies, got my first exposure to racing there. I even see where they've got Jack Van Berg there for a book signing. He was the king back when I started.

Man, so many memories. I'm really stunned, never thought I'd see the day that T'bred's would be back in action there. Michigan racing has been deader than a door nail for so long now.

It's funny though looking at the card, so many of the same trainer names as 3 decades ago. Retelle, Spiess, Iacovacci, Jackson, Barron.

Thoroughbred horse racing coming to Hazel Park for 1st time in 30 years

[elhelmete]

Have only seen the wiggle runners there, while I was a half-assed grad student down in Ann Arbor in the early 90s.

[wisconsin]

The old grandstand is gone, not a whole lot of seating anymore but the clubhouse is intact.

[elhelmete]

Speed seems to be holding!

[ArlJim78]

I miss Jack Riggs

[Track Collector]

In addition, Northville Downs will also be running thoroughbreds in October this year. Both tracks are/will be modified, so they will not be the old 1/2 mile tracks they used to be.

The Michigan horsemen made a 5-year agreement to race thoroughbreds at both tracks, which is why they agreed to the renovation costs. I think they are still considering racing thoroughbreds at Sports Creek (another MI harness track) as well. On the down side it looks like racing at Mount Pleasant Meadows may be done for good. They were originally schedule to run something like 12 days this year, but due to financial difficulties they surrendered their racing license.

I'm hoping to add both Hazel Park and Northville Downs to my thoroughbred track visit list this year.

[ArlJim78]

Hazel Park has always been a 5/8 mile track. Northville is a 1/2 mile oval, or at least was. Hard to imagine them running thoroughbreds there.

[garyoz]

Missed this thread and the first weekend of racing. Looking forward to next weekend's racing.

I virtually grew up at Hazel in the 1960's and 1970's (I was an eastsider and DRC seemed like a foreign country when the racing shifted across town). Some of my family worked the totes too. I go back to M.H. Van Berg being the leading trainer. Chuck Baltazar, Larry Snyder, Wayne Catalano--not a bad jockey colony. Learned speed handicapping on the bull-ring--used to calculate my own Early Pace figs.

So many wonderful days...a 3:30 post to catch the shift change at the plants. Couldn't get a seat. Would try to put unused pages from the DRF on your seat to show it was "reserved" but it never worked and someone always had to stay to protect the seats. Usually sat in the bleachers at the top of the stretch. So much dumb money--there wasn't even a state lottery until 1972 or so.

I hope the horsemen can get it together in Michigan. There always seemed to be a Harness/Thoroughbred dispute that the politicians took advantage of.

Did they turn to TB because the Harness handle is bad? I haven't been following it--don't live in the area anymore.

[BIG HIT]

Should be real interesting as half mile track will see when time come's hazel should play same as nothing really changed except length of meet.and same old trainer rettle bennet jackson and few other

[BIG HIT]

Forgot ya wow 30yr ago my favorite track DRC is now a mall they should make movie invasion of the mall's hope this just get better for thoroughbreds.But politics probably screw it up down road my thinking is northvillie next to close great peace of land there hazel will be last DRC was great peace land that why it is gone

[Capper Al]

Lots of memories from Hazel Park growing up. I used go every Saturday to watch the thorough-breeds run with my father.