Hialeah: Mulling Thoroughbred dates for 2013

Hialeah Park in Florida is considering an amendment to its dates application that would ask state regulators to approve Thoroughbred racing dates in April, 2013, the track’s general manager said on Monday.

Hialeah’s current dates applications calls for 30 Quarter Horse racing dates from Dec. 15, 2012, to Feb. 17, 2013, according to paperwork filed with the state Division of Pari-Mutuel Racing. Amendments to the racing applications are due Tuesday, and Hialeah Park General Manager Randall Soth said on Monday morning that Hialeah’s chairman, John J. Brunetti, remains undecided on whether to ask for the April dates.

“Right now we’ve only applied for the Quarter Horse dates,” Soth said. “That’s not to say something might happen between now and tomorrow.”

Hialeah Park re-opened in December, 2010, after the track received approval to operate a casino at the track. The track, which was once part of a three-track Thoroughbred circuit in Florida, would likely face a stiff challenge from Gulfstream Park and Calder Race Course if it sought the April dates. Under an agreement between the two tracks reached last year, Gulfstream runs from December until early April, with Calder running the remainder of the year.

The division of pari-mutuel wagering is required to issue licenses by March 15, according to Sandi Copes Poreda, a spokesperson for the division.