Some See Winner in Hollywood Park Move

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-racetrack26apr26,1,1597129.story

Idea is in exploratory stages. But Inglewood, at least, is eager to find uses for racetrack's 237 acres.
By Jean O. Pasco and Cynthia Daniels
Times Staff Writers

April 26, 2004

An effort to move the famed Hollywood Park racetrack from Inglewood to Irvine is a tale of the suburbs and the inner city.

For Irvine, a racetrack at the former El Toro Marine base would bolster its hopes to transform the closed base into a giant park surrounded by homes, offices and stores. Until 2002, the old military compound was headed for rebirth as a commercial airport.

In Inglewood, some track old-timers lament the prospect of losing the 66-year-old institution that opened during Hollywood's golden era. But city officials are upbeat about the possibility of a move, which would open the track's 237 acres to retail development that could double its current tax take.

As Hollywood Park's 65th season of horse racing began Wednesday, a move to Irvine was far from assured. The U.S. Navy, which owns the property, is finishing environmental work necessary to auction the land, expected to take place in late fall. The base is to be sold off in quarters, and businesses like a racetrack must form a partnership with winning bidders.

Officials at Hollywood Park and Churchill Downs Inc., headquartered in Kentucky, have declined to comment on the possibility of moving the track and selling the Inglewood facility. Churchill Downs bought the track in 1999 for a reported $140 million.

A Reinvented Track

As some in Inglewood see a brighter future without the track, city leaders in Irvine officials have warmed to the idea of letting Hollywood Park's owners reinvent the facility on the former base, a locale that would showcase horse racing along with concerts, expositions and other events catering to a younger and more affluent clientele.

Former Inglewood City Manager Paul Eckles invited Irvine Councilman Mike Ward to lunch at Hollywood Park several months ago to tour the facility and discuss a possible move. The two had become friends while fighting plans for an airport at El Toro — Ward for Irvine and Eckles as executive director of a 10-city anti-airport coalition.

Churchill Downs officials zeroed in on a 249-acre parcel at El Toro, one that would be buffered by open space, a golf course and homes, Ward said. The racetrack owners had already joined with a master developer planning to bid on the property. The developer was not identified.

The parcel, on the northeastern quadrant of the base, contains the Marines' former horse stables, where Churchill Downs officials supported continuing such programs as providing riding lessons for handicapped children.

"They seem to have some good ideas," Ward said of track executives. He said they talked about an upscale facility, "something nicer than Del Mar."

Ward said company officials assured him there would be no casino gambling at a new track; the Hollywood Park Casino and a satellite wagering facility would remain in Inglewood.

Meanwhile, Inglewood officials openly contemplate a hotel or retail complex on the site of the mile oval.

Although the track is in decline compared with its glory days, it remains profitable and a source of employment in Inglewood. The track employs 500 people full time, with another 850 jobs tied to the racing season. Another 1,500 groomers, stable operators and trainers are employed by others during the season and work on the grounds.

The track is open for racing from late April through July and for about six weeks in November and December. Overall, racing brings $2.1 million a year to the city in taxes and fees.

But a mixed-use retail and residential project could generate twice that, said Inglewood Mayor Roosevelt F. Dorn.

For example, the Wal-Mart project rejected by Inglewood voters this month — which was to have been built at an unused track parking lot not owned by Churchill Downs — would have brought as much as $5 million in annual sales tax to the city.

"If they chose to relocate, while we would miss them from an economic standpoint, we don't anticipate any loss at all," said Inglewood City Administrator Mark F. Weinberg. "To the contrary, the reuse potential far outstrips the current economic value of the racetrack."

The city would miss the horses but welcome "a destination place of magnificent hotels and shops," Dorn said. "If they make the decision to move, we have to have the vision to help create what is necessary for that destination place where people will love to come and visit."

Decades ago, that destination was Hollywood Park.

The track began as the Hollywood Turf Club in 1938 under Warner Bros. film boss Jack L. Warner. Its original shareholders included Al Jolson, Walt Disney and Bing Crosby.

Over the years, the club drew stars, celebrities and tens of thousands of racing fans. At its peak, opening day at the park filled the stands with 44,000 people. Average park attendance now hovers around 10,000.

Voices of Experience

"This area has gotten dead with racing," said horse trainer Clifford Sise Jr., who recalled meeting celebrities such as Mickey Rooney and Sammy Davis Jr. and watching triple crown winner Seattle Slew.

"In the old days, we were glad to get out of Santa Anita and come here. Hollywood Park had better purses, it was bigger, and the place was clean," Sise said. "This used to be the place to go, but now you can see through the crowds."

Moving the track to Irvine wouldn't necessarily bring back the crowds, said Vince De Gregory Jr., 71, a jockey's agent who said he had worked with such riders as Angel Cordero Jr. and Laffit Pincay Jr.

"I don't think [the move is] a benefit to anyone but Churchill Downs," he said. "I understand attendance is down here, but it's down in racing completely."

What could be done is to rebuild tracks for a new generation of race fans, said Ray Paulick, executive vice president of Blood-Horse Publications in Lexington, Ky. Most owners of older facilities haven't had the money to recast their outdated tracks into multipurpose entertainment venues with year-round activity, he said.

For example, the new Lonestar Park in Texas outside Dallas also contains a state-of-the-art skateboard park that is used in extreme-sport X Games.

"It's a no-brainer if you can make it work," Paulick said.

Racetrack attendance began sliding in the mid-1980s with the advent of satellite wagering and simulcasting of races, he said. As a result, tracks don't need to accommodate huge numbers of people anymore and can be built smaller, with luxury boxes and plusher surroundings.

The right combination of buffer zones and redevelopment could transform the Inglewood land into a mix of retail, entertainment, residential and office space uses, the city's Weinberg said. Also possible: a hotel and convention center on the grounds that would be close to Los Angeles International Airport.

Across from the park, 7-Eleven store operator Amin Badrudin feared that losing the park would cut his business by at least 20%.

"I don't think Irvine will be better," he said. "They've had good runs in the past. They just have to do more to bring in people."