Brunetti Says He’ll Shut Hialeah if Track Deregulation Goes On

Hialeah Park owner John Brunetti says he will close the historic track unless the state resumes regulating the thoroughbred racing industry.

“If the state doesn’t come back in, that’s the end of it,” Brunetti said in remarks aimed at stirring action in the legislature.

“We’re very seriously considering a very upscale real estate development . . . something on the order of Century Plaza outside L.A.--office buildings, commercial retail, a hotel maybe.”

Brunetti still maintains that what he wants most for the 225-acre park is horse racing. He invited more than 100 of Hialeah’s most prominent backers to a cocktail party this evening to galvanize support for a legislative lobbying effort.

The state, weary of bickering over racing dates among Hialeah, Calder Race Course in Miami and Gulfstream Park in Hallandale, deregulated the industry last year. Last winter, when Hialeah found itself running against Calder, Brunetti’s track ended its 159-day meet after just 27 days because of poor attendance and handle.

Hialeah has lost an estimated $7 million since deregulation, Brunetti said.

“We’re looking for a legislative program to have Hialeah run noncompetitive dates,” he said, of the profitable and exclusive midwinter racing dates he enjoyed until recently.

Critics contend Brunetti is just a sore loser.

“Reregulating would only divert money from the state in the form of lost taxes and put it into his pocket,” Calder lawyer Wilbur Brewton said.