THE BLACK HAND FORUM

theres also northville downs. i believe thats still open. its a fancier track in a area that doesnt really fit with the track

Thanks for the feedback, man. Living in Kentucky, Lexington to be exact, I’ve worked in the industry off and on for years, and to watch it’s continued decline just makes me shake my head.

I remember when Detroit Race Course was a big part of the summer racing circuit for a lot of horsemen around these parts. Michigan Mile day was always a high point of the meet especially the ‘91 renual that featured eventual Champion Black Tie Affair who won the feature going gate to wire. He duplicated that effort later in the fall winning the Breeders Cup Classic at Churchill Downs.

[quote=Doobeez post_id=73584 time=1523037939 user_id=117]
That’s very interesting, Jeremy. Did they mention the trainers name, or disclose the drugs found?
[/quote]

no specifics were named at all.
and i dont think it has any thing to do w the track other then thats where the truck was being parked (as well as 100 other trailers) . and the track doesnt have live raceing right now so i dont think any trainers are here. the live racing is from may - july.
.... well it was.....
me and my girl (...or ex.... i guess....) would go every zo often. they'd throw free hots on Fridays sometimes. sad bc A LOT of old timers would hang out there.... like there was 2 main rooms there and generally one was usually filled w the old guys.

That’s very interesting, Jeremy. Did they mention the trainers name, or disclose the drugs found?

[quote=Doobeez post_id=73548 time=1522998966 user_id=117]
They had 90 employees which made the WARN ACT notification unnecessary. Last year, HP’s owners began selling off their interests in a Florida dog track as well as casIno and racino interests.

To rub more salt in the wounds Wednesday was load-in day for trainers who requested stalls for the meet. They had to load back up and head home some having already driven 14 hours to the track.
[/quote]

yes - within the last month u could see about 100 trailers being parked at in a certain area in front of the track. they appeared over night. and then they were quite busy moving all the trailers and making room for the new ones.

and today the track was empty except for about 15 trailers left behind.

on a side note that probably has nothing to do w the track or the mob.... but the state police found lotsa drugs in one of the smaller trailers they pulled over across the street from the track.

They had 90 employees which made the WARN ACT notification unnecessary. Last year, HP’s owners began selling off their interests in a Florida dog track as well as casIno and racino interests.

To rub more salt in the wounds Wednesday was load-in day for trainers who requested stalls for the meet. They had to load back up and head home some having already driven 14 hours to the track.

[quote=Stroccos post_id=73463 time=1522955552 user_id=2183]
Sad to see a track close , Been there many times , when ever I attend horse racing it seems the crowds were getting smaller in recent years
[/quote]

i live across the street from the track. i was lookin forward to seeing the races live (they only do it live 2 months)...

they didnt warn anyone about it closing either.... they just closed up today.

The racinos we’re built to help bolster the track’s purse structure so they can bring in better stock and bigger fields. Their addition kept the doors open at Mountaineer, Charles Town, and Penn National. Their product is still shit though.

Related..Suffolk Downs will close their doors for good following the end of their meet.

[quote=FriendofFamily post_id=73470 time=1522959393 user_id=2174]
Racino = Race Track with Slots/Gambling devices
[/quote]

That sounds fun. I'll have to go to one of those.

Racino = Race Track with Slots/Gambling devices

[quote=Stroccos post_id=73463 time=1522955552 user_id=2183]
Sad to see a track close , Been there many times , when ever I attend horse racing it seems the crowds were getting smaller in recent years
[/quote]

If I remember correctly I thought they tried to get licensed to have slot and other gambling machines there to help compete with the casinos. Which would have been neat. A kind of combo racetrack/casino would have been fun. Oh well.

Sad to see a track close , Been there many times , when ever I attend horse racing it seems the crowds were getting smaller in recent years

Thanks Adam for the great info and link.

So apparently the Hazel Park Raceway just outside of Detroit closed today.

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/oakland/2018/04/05/hazel-park-raceway-closed/488940002/

It had a very interesting Detroit mob history. When it was started in 1949 by a group of businessmen(including James Bellanca whose son Pete was a long time lawyer for the Detroit mob. Pete became the main lawyer for Hazel Park) Anthony Zerilli(then 21 years old) invested $50,000 in it that he says he received as a gift from his father Joseph Zerilli. Zerilli became one of the largest shareholders and became executive vice president of the track. Others who became investors:

Agostino Orlando(Santo Perrone's son in law)
Anthony and Dominic Corrado(Dominic became Hazel Park Director) and their sister(who was married to Pete Cavataio)
Joseph Zerilli
John Priziola
Mike Rubino
Anthony and Sam Bagnasco
Carlo Licata
Dominic Licavoli
Pete Licavoli
Angelo Meli's wife and daughter. Some Meli grandchildren
A bunch of the daughters and sons in law of Joseph Zerilli and Bill Tocco

Jack Tocco became an executive vice president. Anthony Tocco became a director. For a period of time Hazel Park owned the Wheeling Downs racetrack in Wheeling WV. Which may be connected to why the Detroit mob apparently had the Mannarino brothers kill a Wheeling gambler named Nick Miller in 1957. Anthony Zerilli and Pete Bellanca were convicted of concealing a hidden ownership in the Frontier Casino in Vegas in 1972. After that the Toccos, Zerilli and everyone else lost their positions and had to sell their stock. The story is that Jack Tocco always blamed Zerilli for losing Hazel Park. It was still a hangout for Detroit mobsters though at least into the 1990s because it gets mentioned a few times in the 1996 GAMTAX case. I'd always wondered if the Detroit mob still had some kind of hidden interest in it after they had to officially get out in the 1970s.