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Preakness still a hit at Shoreline Star
Connecticut Post Online
BRIDGEPORT — Steve Alford took a quick peek at the turnstile counter and couldn't help but nod in approval. Out in the parking lot, three-quarters of the spaces were filled. Discarded betting slips littered the walkway heading toward the front entrance, a sure sign that not everyone coming or going was having a good day.
But Alford sure was. The general manager of the Shoreline Star was having a very good day. The Preakness, the second jewel of horse racing's Triple Crown, was still some 3 hours away, but that didn't make a bit of difference to the 1,300 or so that had already passed through the turnstile and were now seated at tables all over the facility.
Watching. Waiting.
Hoping to pick a winner.
Over the next three hours as post time neared for the 131st Preakness and the racing community waited to see if Barbaro would add that elusive second jewel to his Kentucky Derby crown, Alford made his way around the Shoreline Star, making sure that everything was running smoothly.
It has been just over a month since Autotote Enterprises Inc., purchased the facility for $12 million and brought it fully into the Autotote family. And so far, so good. Two weeks ago, the Derby brought a record handle of $527,000 to the Shoreline Star — along with some 3,000 people — and Alford was confident that upwards of 2,400 would eventually find their way to the building on Saturday to place their bets for the Preakness.
And then stick around to watch and see who won.
"We're still trying to get through what I call the transition period," Alford said. "Overall, though, the numbers are good. I think it's been a smooth transition and that was our number one goal, to maintain the level of customer service that we've had all along and make it feel seamless to all the people."
On Saturday, Shoreline Star opened its doors at 10 a.m. to handle the crowds that were expected to place bets on the Preakness and all other the simulcasting events the facility shows, from Dania and Miami Jai Alai to Belmont Park to Churchill Downs to yes, even horse racing from Australia.
And for a facility that opened to great fanfare back in 1995, only to file for bankruptcy barely a year later, the Shoreline Star is something of a Phoenix, rising from the ashes of Chapter 11 to a new life with simulcasting from dozens of venues around the world.
Still, you can't help but look out at the blue tarp covering the now unused dog track and feel a pang of regret. Live dog racing was the original main attraction of the Shoreline Star (after the closure of the old Bridgeport Jai Alai fronton) and although the track never quite made money on the dogs, the allure of live racing was more than enough to bring decent crowds during the six-month season.
The crowds still come but there are many that miss the dogs. Alford misses them, too.
"We get a lot of e-mails. There are a lot of people curious. We don't have any (racing) dates on the web site and a lot of people still don't that we're not doing live racing," he said. "Definitely a lot of people are wondering what's going on. I've been around live racing all the time, and normally, we'd be racing right now. So, yeah, it's kind of different not seeing anything going on."
But even though the track is covered and quiet, Alford says there are plans to do something with the property. He says there's been some talk on possible hosting small, festival-like concerts on the grounds or, eventually bringing dog racing back. Those decisions, however, are being left for another day.
"Obviously those buildings over there are totally underutilized right now and we'd definitely like to do something there," he said. "We've gotten a lot of suggestions and I'm really excited about looking ahead at other things to do."
Whether it's concerts on the infield or using the Paddock Grille as a comedy club in the evening, Alford has his hands full in finding ways to get people to come to the Shoreline Star. Because that's the bottom line. If they come, most likely they'll stay. And bet.
"One of the keys to making this work is exposing new people to the facility," he said. "They just don't expect to walk into a place like this. If I can get them to come, whether it's for a concert and they wander around and like what they see, hopefully they'll come back."
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