Hollypark Could Use Pavilion of Just Folks

Re: Bill Christine’s story on the poor season at Hollywood Park. It missed the real reason, the disaffection and alienation of the average racing fan, a species that Mrs. Everett seems determined to get on the endangered list. She spent millions on the Pavilion of the Stars trying to attract a new upscale clientele while she let the grandstand area deteriorate.

The message to the average race-goer is: “Unless you are willing to shell out $14 ($7 per person) for the Pavilion, we don’t want you.” Sitting in the ever-pleasant grandstand area of Santa Anita during the last week of the winter meeting, the consensus among many of us regulars was, “Wait until Oak Tree.”

KEN LIVESAY

North Hollywood

Editor’s note: Don Robbins, general manager of Hollywood Park, says of the track’s commitment to the Pavilion of the Stars: “We don’t apologize for it. The average age of regular race track clientele may be in the 60s, and one of our objectives with the Pavilion is to figure a way to appeal to the y uppie market as an investment in our future. Also, the Pavilion was built to help provide added comfort for our many elderly race fans.”