The long goodbye for Hollywood Park, through knowing eyes

Los Angeles Times ^ | December 13, 2013 | Bill Dwyre

[EveningStar]

Richard Warren recalls the heyday when celebrities such as Cary Grant, Lucille Ball and Fred Astaire would linger in the box seats, but on Saturday the buzz will be a bit restrained, even for the $750,000 CashCall Futurity...

With the track's final day, Dec. 22, looming, he has become, for the thousands who know him, a sort of symbol of past joy and current sadness...

[EveningStar]

Hollywood Park

[EveningStar]

SoCal Ping!



Attention Southern Californians

Please ping me with any Southern California related articles. Thank you!

If you want on or off this ping list, please FReepmail me.

[ColdOne]

Dang.

[Uncle Chip]

What a shame —

[jocon307]

I never got to go there. What a shame.

[Uncle Chip]

There’s still time — you have 7 days.

[JennysCool]

Good article. Sad occasion.

[jocon307]

If I hit lotto it could happen!

[GQuagmire]

Horse racing is another early 20th century event that’s fading away. Boxing, dog racing,and tennis are some others that come to mind.

[Uncle Chip]

In related news:

Federal appeals court vacates ban on US horse slaughter

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3101776/posts

[maine yankee]

Only been to see the races once.

But made some good money in their poker room when I was living in Santa Monica.

[Argus]

I used to go to the races there in the 70’s, but I preferred Santa Anita.

[BenLurkin]

bttt

[SevenofNine]

OH ES when my uncle from Alaska was still living in LA he used took me to Hollywood park in da day in 1970s

[Gay State Conservative]

Never been a racing fan...too many races are fixed by The Mob and others.Shell games occurring on Brooklyn street corners are more honest.

[Mike Darancette]

I really mean none of them — still believe they are going to tear this place down for real estate.

Going to be a gated community or low income?

[SevenofNine]

Word on the street going be mostly retail and apartments

[Nepeta]

Federal appeals court vacates ban on US horse slaughter

I have always loved horses. I took care of mine even through some hard times when that care demanded sacrifice on my part. Slaughter was never an option.

But the sad truth is there is a surplus of horses in this country. Hundreds are available any day for free or nearly free, with papers, with nothing really wrong with them except perhaps they are too slow. Many people acquired their animals in better days and in the Obama economy their finances collapsed. Some people were just stupid and bred foals for whom there was no market.

Many "wild" horses are animals turned loose by their owners. Supposedly there are even wild horses in the Appalachins now.

Banning slaughter in this country does not mean rescue. It means an even longer ride in a packed truck to Mexico, and slaughter conditions worse than in the US. Slaughter is ugly, and I carried my horses into their old age and did without myself to keep them in good feed and 20 acres to run around in--but regulated slaughter in the US is better than days on the road to Mexico.

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

When I lived in LA, I had a cat whom I was very fond of. Great cat, tuxedo model. I sold my home and had to move...and could not keep the cat. Dilemma.

I ultimately met a gal who was the stablemistress for Hollywood Park. Non-horse people do not know that where there are horses, there are almost always cats. Because cats keep the rodents down who are attracted to the food the horses spill. The horses, particularly expensive thoroughbreds, can really get freaked out over rats/mice and ram themselves or kick into the stable walls. Ooops, $250K horse gets lunched. So...where there are horses, there are almost always cats.

Believe it or not, she was looking for 6 cats. Except for eccentric old women, I had never heard of anyone who wanted 6 cats. But she was, and that’s where my cat found a new home: hanging out on bales of hay in a heated stable at Hollywood Park, with a vet on staff and food every day. As he was about 14 y/o at the time (and an entirely inexperienced and probably reluctant and ineffective mouser) I was exceptionally happy I could orchestrate that scenario for him to live out his days. Worked out well. As I had a close friend who trained horses, I could get into the stables now and then and tried to find my old pal. Never did.

[sauron]

A terrible shame.

My father took me there a lot in the 1960's and early 70's. Good memories. The sights, sounds, smells. Being a kid, running around back in a time when you could--no cellphone attached to your head, freedom to explore, rove...then waiting to see if the $2.00 you bet via your parents would earn you $2.40 or something even better....

It was slow excitement. And fun.

Took my wife there not long after we got married. Probably around 1989. Such memories.

Been meaning to transmit the experience to my son. Now, I'll have to get him to Santa Anita (also a fun place), to pass down to him what my father once passed down to me.

We're losing our cultural heritage!

Sauron