Trotters take test drive on Chester Downs track

Trotters take test drive on Chester Downs track
Tim Logue
Daily Times, Aug 29, 2006

There was no money on the line, but Bobnoxious and Corporate Rrraider seemed to enjoy the honor of being the first horses to ever trot at Harrah’s new racetrack. "We warmed them up and got them exercised a little bit," said Corporate Rrraider’s driver, Sam Beegle, a director with the U.S.Trotting Association. "It’s going to be a beautiful track. They are doing a wonderful job down there."

Both horses are expected to compete when the track opens for business Sept. 10. It will mark the first harness race in the Delaware Valley since the closing of Brandywine Raceway in 1989 and first new racetrack built in the area since Philadelphia Park in 1974.

While the facility awaits a gaming license from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, Harrah’s will front most of the purse money for the racing season, which runs Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays through Dec. 18.

Harrah’s officials expect the casino’s 2,750 slot machines to open for business early next year.

"Our purses are going to average $70,000 per day at the start and once the slot machines go online, we expect the purses to increase significantly," said Michael Tanner, director of racing operations. "The (slots) are crucial to the success of the whole facility. Our goal is to marry the best in slot machines with the world class harness racing in a way that has never been done before."

County and city officials are also hoping for a happy marriage between Harrah’s and the people of Chester.

"There’s the $10 million revenue piece for the city which isn’t going to come until they have the slots," said Jim Turner, Chester’s director of economic development, "but, in the bigger picture, we want to see how (Harrah’s) helps businesses -- from restaurants to banks to hotels and other service entities.

"The more of these types of businesses we can attract, the better it will be for Chester and its residents."

Turner could not estimate the number of Chester residents hired by Harrah’s, "but I have seen a preliminary list of people who have been offered jobs and I recognize a lot of the names," he said. "A lot of the jobs are in food service, simulcasting and landscaping. The Harness Racing Commission hired 20-30 people just to work around the horses."

Turner said the snack bar in the paddock area will be run by a Chester business. A local company will also provide many of the floor mats for the facility. "They are definitely working with Chester businesses," he said.

Cheryl Stevens, owner of Cheryl’s Southern Style, a popular takeout restaurant in the 500 block of Welsh Street, did not fare as well.

"I put in an application for a snack bar location but I wasn’t selected," she said. "They said they were going in a different direction but would keep my information if there was a need for catering."

Stevens said she has received lunch orders from Harrah’s employees and hopes her close proximity to the Chester Transportation Center will yield new customers as they come and go from the track and casino.

"We’ll have to wait and see how things unfold," she said.

All five members of Delaware County Council made the trek to the track Monday and took in the views of the Delaware River from Harrah’s 20,000-square-foot outdoor deck.

"Harrah’s will be a great boost to the county’s revitalization of our waterfront communities," said council Chairman Andrew Reilly.

The county expects to rake in between $6 million and $10 million annually once the slot machines are up and running.

"Seeing the racetrack and casino become a reality from the ground up is a very positive sign for Chester and Delaware County," said council Vice Chair Linda Cartisano, a Chester resident.

Beegle believes Delaware County residents will take to harness racing on the riverfront. "Thoroughbred racing is called the sport of kings but harness racing is the sport for everyone else," he said.

Tanner, who spent 12 years among thoroughbreds at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., is also looking forward to watching the trotters in Chester.

"It’s a uniquely American sport, developed in this country," he said. "If you have ever watched NASCAR drivers draft and plot their moves, it’s the same thing here, except they are going 30 mph instead of 180 mph."

While some harness tracks are thriving, Tanner said horseracing no longer monopolizes the gambling dollar the way it did in the 1960s, when Las Vegas and the local bookie were the chief alternatives for bettors.

"But you never know what could happen," he said. "Everyone thought poker was dead five years ago and now it’s the trendiest thing going. Times change."