Hazel Park to end meet early Aug. 8

Hazel Park Raceway will end its meet Saturday, Aug. 8, instead of Sept. 12, as originally scheduled, due to insufficient funds, per a Michigan Gaming Control Board release.

The Detroit-area racetrack was approved to host 40 live dates in 2015 and will fulfill 30 under the new schedule. The track’s marquee Michigan Sire Stakes card will be moved to the new closing day after initially being slated for Sept. 12. Simulcast operations will continue as scheduled.

Hazel Park is in the midst of its second Thoroughbred meet following a 30-year hiatus during which it was exclusively a harness venue. The track hosted 38 live dates in 2014.

Richard Kalm, executive director of the MGCB, said overspending is the probable cause for the early end to the meet, but he did not suspect wrongdoing. The MGCB is investigating the reasons for the track’s inability to complete its meet.

“This is an unfortunate and serious matter,” Kalm said.

According to the MGCB, the Michigan Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association indicated it would need approximately $51,000 per card from the purse pool to conduct its meet as scheduled. However, the board claims that up to $75,000 was being taken for some of the cards. The track cut purses twice in the span of a month during the meet to extend the season.

George Kutlenios, president of the Michigan HBPA, admitted to overspending at the beginning of the meet to attract horsemen from surrounding states, where casino subsidies fuel purses. But he said the MGCB also was responsible for dooming the 2015 meet.

Among the MGCB’s actions that Kutlenios questioned was the closure of Sports Creek Harness Raceway in Swartz Creek, Mich., which Kutlenios said cut one-fifth of the state’s simulcast purse pool after the track’s 2015 dates were already assigned last fall. Sports Creek was ordered to close by the state Jan. 1 after failing to sign a contract with a certified horsemen’s organization.

Kutlenios also said the MGCB ignored a request by the Michigan HBPA to reduce Hazel Park’s cards from nine races to eight before the start of the meet in order to better manage the horse population and purse money. The board, he said, waited until the season was about to start to deny the plan.

“The Thoroughbreds at Hazel Park were doing so well and putting on such a good show, and the fans were responding so well to it,” he said. “It’s a shame something had to upset that applecart.

“There’s a whole lot of tough, resilient horsemen and women in this state who have stuck it out under severe economic pressure, and they’re still here swinging the bat,” he added. “They’re going to lose 10 days of this meet because of circumstances that could have easily been fixed by the gaming board stepping up and doing something to help this industry, as opposed to just saying, ‘We’re going to shut you down like Sports Creek.’ ”

Also in play is $1 million in escrow available for Standardbred racing should the Michigan Harness Horsemen’s Association sign a contract with Hazel Park in the future. Kutlenios said the Michigan HBPA had been looking into splitting the money between the Thoroughbred and Standardbred organizations, but to little avail.

“That is money that was earned at Hazel Park, and it is earmarked for Hazel Park to use for Standardbred race purses, but there’s nothing in the law that says what you do with that money if the Standardbreds don’t race there anymore,” he said. “We went to the gaming board months ago and said, ‘If there’s nothing in the statute, man up and make a decision and help this industry decide where it should go.’

“We’ve asked for some kind of division of that money,” Kutlenios added. “Any of that money would have helped this year’s program and certainly next year’s program for us. They were reticent. They didn’t want to make any decision to help racing, and their quote was, ‘We don’t want to get sued.’ ”

Ladd Biro, Hazel Park’s director of racing, said the track was in no danger of closing, and that it would apply for dates in 2016, though the number could differ from this year’s meet.

“There’s a lot of things that come into play, but the bottom line was there was just less money,” Biro said. “You take into account what monies are projected for the upcoming year, and you base your program accordingly. I’m sure we’ll apply for race dates for 2016. Specifically, I don’t know yet.”