10
Currents
August 2018
> continued from page 9
on the way. Florida’s only remaining harness racing
venue is headed for some big changes. It's about to
shed more than 50 years of relics at an upcoming
auction this August. Pompano Beach Mayor Lamar
Fisher said he met with Isle Casino’s leaders and
plans are to tear down the old grandstand building
and build a 400-room hotel on the Isle Casino’s prop-
erty. After the first phase, the site, at 777 Isle of Capri
Circle, may be developed into a retail, restaurant and
office complex similar to the Hard Rock Hotel &
Casino complex in Hollywood. He
said the Isle Casino has part-
nered with the same company
that developed the Hard Rock —
The Cordish Cos. “This is a major
game-changer for Pompano,”
Fisher said. The old grandstand
closed after the current grand-
stand was built 10 years ago. Isle
officials aren’t saying anything
about the long-term plans for the
old grandstand beyond a sign that
says the building is permanently
closed to the public. How the
development will fit in with the
existing track is unclear as plans
have not yet been submitted to
the city. There is still harness
activity afoot. Jennifer Swope,
spokeswoman for Isle Casino,
which owns Pompano Park, said
she’s working on firming up a rac-
ing schedule for next year. The
track, which opened in the 1960s,
is filled with memories. Mayor
Fisher said he used to go there,
even as a young boy. “My grand-
father was part owner of some of
the horses there,” he recalled. “I
would go with him to the stables
and to watch the races.” Frank
Cavaioli, a retired history and
political science professor, wrote
a book “Pompano Park Harness
Track,” published in 2005 by
Arcadia Publishing. He wrote it
continued on page 11 >
Currents
> continued from page 10
after going through Pompano Park’s trove of memo-
ries. “It was an experience of old Pompano — where
people would dress up, be well-behaved,” said
Cavaioli, 88, who placed his share of bets on har-
ness-racing horses. “There was a kind of charm, an
intimacy.” Meanwhile, the Isle Casino is about to
shed more than 50 years of relics from parties past
that have been accumulating at the old grandstand
building. From rice cookers left over from a promo-
tion to a 12-foot replica of the Hillsboro Lighthouse to
old style-track groomers, the flotsam and jetsam that
no longer fit the operation are being organized and
cataloged in preparation for an August auction.
“Those are probably original to the building,” said
Swope, pointing at some pink chairs. Steven Wolf,
horse racing consultant and former director of racing
at Pompano Park until 2009, calls harness racing “an
endangered species.” Three other harness racing
tracks have closed in Florida as the sport’s popularity
has waned over the last few decades: Tropical Para-
dise in Hialeah, Ponce De Leon Raceway in Bayard
and Seminole Park in Casselberry. Pompano’s old
ticket window signs will be up for auction. Wall hang-
ings that depict horses in harness will go out to bid.
Florida’s gambling regulations require that non-
Native American gambling operations also have live
racing when they have slot machines. And gambling
industry lobbyists have been working hard in the
state Legislature for the last few years to convince
legislators that the time has come for the live racing
requirement to come to its finish — permanently.
Cavaioli said he still goes to the track from time to
time during the season, which spans from October to
May. “It’s a very, very sparse crowd.”
Gene Suppell
Editor & Publisher
We reserve the right to edit all submissions.
The views expressed here are not necessarily
those of Currents magazine.
No articles can be reprinted without our permis-
sion.
August 2018
11
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