Firmly on Right Track : Hollywood Park: Despite downward trend in racing nationally, 67-day meeting is a success.

Hollywood Park closed its major 1991 season Monday with final figures that lead chairman R.D. Hubbard to believe that his track is an exception to a national trend.

Many other tracks are struggling, with racing emerging from a sluggish decade only to be hit by a lagging economy. But Hollywood Park, under its new management, was able to improve in almost all areas compared to last year.

On-track attendance, boosted by six Friday-night programs, averaged 20,306 for the 67-day season, an increase of more than 11% from last year. Betting averaged $4.8 million, an increase of almost 1%.

Off-track figures were boosted by betting hookups in Nevada and other out-of-state locations. The attendance at 11 California locations averaged about 8,000, about the same as last year, but the overall off-track handle increased by more than 7%. Without out-of-state betting, however, this year’s off-track total would have been down about 1%.

Hubbard, a principal owner of tracks in Kansas and New Mexico, won a costly proxy battle early this year to unseat Marje Everett, who had been in control of the track since 1974. Hubbard immediately launched an $18-million improvement program at the track.

“Considering what’s happening at tracks around the country, I think what we’ve accomplished here this year has really been outstanding,” Hubbard said.

“With the economy the way it is, Longacres (near Seattle) is the only other track I know that is showing some positive signs, and I think that’s because they’re in danger of losing the facility up there.”

Hubbard said some of the highlights of the season included the turnout of more than 40,000 on Father’s Day and the seven days that the track’s on-site handle exceeded $7 million. Hubbard said that there were only two $7-million-plus days a year ago.

On Sunday, during a winner’s-circle salute to the fans, Hubbard complimented his employees for their work during the season, and the crowd responded with applause.

“I don’t think I’ve seen that too often, if ever, at a race track,” Hubbard said.

Hubbard said the most important thing that the new management did was to construct a paddock under the trees behind the grandstand, with a good view of the horses from a second-floor balcony.

“Thousands of people were able to get closer to the horses, and that’s important,” Hubbard said.

The Friday nights averaged 21,356 in attendance, compared to daytime crowds of 12,862 on the same days during the rest of the season. Friday night racing was begun by Everett in 1988 after she persuaded reluctant horsemen to go along with a card to celebrate the track’s 50th anniversary. Another Friday night card was run in 1989 to honor then-jockey Bill Shoemaker, and four cards were run last year.

“The Friday nights introduced new fans to racing,” Hubbard said. “Our surveys showed that about 6% of the people who came out on Fridays had never been to a race track before. That’s a tremendous number of potentially new fans.”

Hubbard and the Hollywood Park horsemen will examine a survey of the Friday nights before they determine next year’s schedule. Many trainers are opposed to night racing, because it is contrary to their regular training schedules and requires extra barn help.

“I wouldn’t like to see racing every Friday night,” trainer Charlie Whittingham said.

The Friday nights also hurt harness-racing at Los Alamitos. A spokesman for Los Alamitos said that the Friday night harness handle was off by about 50% when Hollywood Park was running.

One of the mistakes Hollywood Park made was tinkering with the main racing surface. One Hollywood Park trainer, Bobby Frankel, moved his horses to Santa Anita because he felt the injury rate was too high, and Hollywood’s grass surface discouraged some trainers from running their horses.

Hubbard spent about $3 million in opening for this season. The rest of the renovation program will begin this week, when work begins on new barns that will accommodate 700 horses. Two track restaurants and a bar are also going to be added.

Happy at Hollywood

1990 1991 ON-TRACK ATTEND AVG. 18,250 20,306 ON-TRACK BETTING AVG. $4,792,144 $4,835,127 OFF-TRACK ATTENDANCE AVG. 8,037 8,046 OFF-TRACK BETTING AVG. $1,668,414 $1,684,496 OVERALL ATTENDANCE AVG. 26,287 28,352 OVERALL BETTING AVG. $6,460,558 $6,926,379*

* Includes out-of-state daily average of $406,755; out-of-state betting not offered in 1990.