Business editor
mbradwell@observer-reporter.com
MEADOW LANDS - Jim Schaming has missed only one Adios in the 41 years of its running at The Meadows Racetrack & Casino and has owned pacers that have run at the North Strabane Township track for the past three decades.
Schaming, 74, of Upper St. Clair remembers the glory years of The Meadows just after its 1963 opening, when harness racing was one of the biggest sporting draws in the area. He'd leave his home at 7 p.m. for an 8:15 p.m. post time, fighting traffic to the track that he said was sometimes backed up on Route 19 from Racetrack Road to Donaldsons Crossroads.
On Saturday, eating a buffet lunch at the Top of the Track and overlooking a near-capacity crowd in the grandstands and at trackside, Schaming expressed hope that the track's glory days will soon return, thanks to an influx of cash from The Meadows' adjacent casino operations.
On a warm, bright August afternoon with parking overflowing from the venue's paved lots around the track and casino down to temporary grass lots near the statue of the race's namesake at the Racetrack Road entrance, there were plenty of reasons for horse-racing enthusiasts to be hopeful about the future of the 44-year-old track.
The Adios attracted 5,251 racing fans Saturday, down slightly from 5,439 a year ago. But with the added attraction of the slot machines, The Meadows' parking areas were filled with 4,350 vehicles.
The Meadows' 1,738 slot machines, which began operating June 11 in the temporary casino, already are giving the track a boost, increasing purses by 50 percent over a year ago and pumping about $500,000 a week into horse operations.
On Wednesday, The Meadows announced it soon will begin work on a $151 million permanent casino and 200-room hotel. The project will require demolition of the original grandstand and wagering area, but the new complex, which will include three restaurants, an entertainment area and a luxury spa for hotel guests, will incorporate 3,000 slots with the venue's harness racing tradition by connecting a new grandstand area to the casino.
"I like the fact that there's going to be constant activity 24 hours a day in the same building as the racing," Schaming said, adding that with the revenue from nearly twice as many slot machines, purses for the races will build even higher.
"Because of that, we'll have a purse structure similar to the Meadowlands in New Jersey and Woodbine in Canada," he said of two of the Northeast's premier tracks. "We're going to be watching some of the best horses in the country now and some of the leading drivers."
Schaming's friend and fellow horseman Sal Celedonia, also of Upper St. Clair, agreed that the changes that slots revenue are bringing to horse operations at the track also will make horse owners like him more competitive.
"For years, most of the owners in this business just did it for the fun of racing," he said. "The purse increase means the value of horses is starting to increase. It's nice to know you can invest some new money and look to turn a profit."
Celedonia, who owns several horses, said he's preparing to attend upcoming sales to add more to his stable.
Down at trackside, brothers Fred and Mike Chambers of Avella said they'll miss the old track they've been coming to since 1979 but are glad to see their favorite sport being revived.
While both said they have no interest in wagering on slot machines, Fred, 34, and Mike, 28, said they attend every Adios race and are happy seeing the positive effects from slots revenue.
"It's sad to see the old place go, but they're keeping the racing around, so it's a good thing," said Fred Chambers.
"We'll keep coming back for the horse racing," Mike Chambers said.
Rick Keck of Beaver County, a trainer for horse owner Mark Goldberg for the past 20 years, said that in addition to bigger purses, horsemen are looking forward to a new paddock area and repairs to the barn area that will occur with the new casino project.
"The whole track is excited," Keck said. "It's been a long time coming."