Successful Record Cited : Del Mar Group Selected to Run Race Track for 20 More Years

Citing the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club’s success at drawing people while maintaining the suburban tranquility of surrounding cities, the state Race Track Leasing Commission decided Friday to begin negotiations with the club for a new 20-year contract to run the famed track.

The decision by the six-member commission, established by state lawmakers solely to select an operator for the Del Mar Racetrack, ended a long, grueling evaluation.

After spending nine months reviewing proposals from six applicants for the contract to run the annual 43-day horse-racing season, the commission narrowed the field to two finalists: the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, the track’s current operator, and John Brunetti, a New Jersey construction magnate and operator of Florida’s Hialeah Park Racetrack.

Familiarity with the Thoroughbred Club and its plans to continue to emphasize horse racing, rather than use the race track for a number of entertainment events as proposed by other bidders, apparently weighed heavily in the final decision.

During the hearings by the commission, civic leaders and residents from Del Mar and neighboring Solana Beach backed the Thoroughbred Club and expressed concern about zealous profiteers who might introduce raucous concerts and destroy neighborhood serenity.

“I believe we have two strong proposals,” commission member Bob Vice said. “But I believe we have to choose an operator that can deal with the concerns of the local community and generate the best return for the state.

Describing the Thoroughbred Club as “a credible operator who has a willingness to work with the commission and who has a proven record,” Vice proposed that the club be awarded the 20-year contract.

From the start, the local Thoroughbred Club was considered the favorite to win the contract, based on its accomplishments over the last 19 years. The organization guided the track from obscurity to prominence.

“We’re delighted,” said Joe Harper, executive vice president and general manager of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. “It’s going to be a lot different from when we started 19 years ago. There’s a lot more money to be generated and we’re looking forward to it.”

Harper also said the club’s nonprofit status--all revenue is returned either to the operation or the state--helped it win the contract.

Good Relations

The club has maintained good relations with local communities, as demonstrated by the endorsements it received from local homeowners’ association and city councils.

During the commission’s last hearing, the Thoroughbred Club was backed by a parade of supporters who spoke on its behalf.

“We’re proud of the class operation run by the Thoroughbred Club,” said Brooke Eisenberg, Del Mar’s deputy mayor. Eisenberg also expressed concern about Brunetti’s inexperience working in San Diego County.

“His ability to negotiate with labor in San Diego County is an unknown,” she said.

But Brunetti wasn’t without supporters.

“All of you are concerned about an outsider coming in,” said Raul Martinez, the mayor of Hialeah. “But I urge you to consider Mr. Brunetti not as a stranger but as a man who has a commitment to make the industry better, not just Hialeah or Del Mar.”

Credited Brunetti

Martinez, who said he attended the hearing voluntarily, credited Brunetti for turning around his city’s once-failing race track.

Although the Thoroughbred Club was ahead at the finish line, Brunetti, who promised to produce more revenue by holding more promotional events, adding races and luring top-flight thoroughbreds, appeared to be gaining momentum during the final months of the selection process.

“We felt that we were a long shot, but I thought our chances were improving,” Brunetti said.

Brunetti said he knew from the start that he was fighting an uphill battle against a hometown favorite. The commission’s decision to hold the hearings in Del Mar placed him at an even greater disadvantage, Brunetti added.

“If this was held in Florida, I could have brought in the same amount of support,” Brunetti said. “I think things may have been different if this took place in Sacramento. I believe it would have been a lot more objective.”

But Harper disagreed.

“The commission agreed months ago to hold the hearings here,” Harper said. “Because it is a local issue, the community has to have its say.”