Hazel Park abruptly bars horses from shipping in

Hazel Park Raceway made a sudden announcement on Wednesday morning during its scheduled ship-in day that the track would not accept horses on the grounds, though what exactly that means remains murky.

The Detroit-area racetrack opened its grounds for horsemen to set up their stalls on Monday and Tuesday, but Michigan Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association president George Kutlenios said the announcement shutting the track off to horses came between 9:30 and 10 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday morning.

“We’re in the dark,” Kutlenios said. “We understand word was passed down from Hartman & Tyner [Hazel Park’s ownership group] to the racetrack today to not allow any horses on the backside.”

Despite the announcement, Kutlenios said he received verbal confirmation from management at the racetrack level that horses arriving at the gate Wednesday would be given their stalls to ensure their safety and welfare. When and if there would be a cutoff time for admission, or how long they would be allowed to stay, was unclear. Kutlenios said early Wednesday evening that about 42 horses were on the grounds, and training was already canceled for Thursday by the track.

“Our big concern right now is we have people shipping in from Ohio, some from Penn National, St. Louis, Chicago,” he said. “Those people get on the road early and are coming in today. Some of them were not able to be accessed by phone or were en route, so we wanted to make sure they had a place to land when they got to Hazel Park.”

Representatives from Hazel Park and Hartman & Tyner did not return calls Wednesday afternoon.

Opening day for Hazel Park is scheduled for May 4. Initial plans call for training Monday through Saturday, with timed works available starting April 11.

Kutlenios implied that the announcement came as a surprise to even the Michigan Gaming Control Board, the state’s governing body for horse racing.

Mary Kay Bean, the MGCB’s communications specialist, said in an emailed statement that the race meeting order authorized by the board does not require Hazel Park to open the backstretch to horses by a certain time before the race meeting begins, therefore Wednesday’s closure would not violate any agreement with the state.

“Hazel Park would violate its race meeting order if the track misses a race day,” Bean said. “The MGCB will continue to monitor the situation.”