2008 Events --> July 19, 2008

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Off and flying: Fans flock to Pinnacle opening as owner
sees dream come true | By Rob Parker, Detroit News

HURON TOWNSHIP -- For horse owner Henry Mast, the only thing more surprising than being the first winner at Pinnacle Race Course on Friday afternoon was that he couldn't find a parking spot at the track before the race.

"I had to park on the backside near the stables and walk across the track," Mast said. "I was amazed when I saw the traffic -- although I think this area has been ready for it."

And how. It was a banner day, to say the least. You would have figured people would have had to be at work in the middle of the day. Nope. There they were, jam-packed into this beautiful new track minutes away from Metro Airport.

The state-of-the-art track is a showplace. When it's totally finished in 2010, it will include a four-story, 60,000-square-foot clubhouse that includes private suites and boxes, a 4,000-seat grandstand and two tracks, a one-mile dirt track and a 7/8 -mile turf (grass) track.

There are 63 days of live racing scheduled for 2008 at Michigan's only thoroughbred racetrack following the closing of Great Lakes Downs in Muskegon in 2007. When track founder/owner Jerry Campbell arrived to see his baby, he could have easily shed a tear. It's not often a lifelong goal comes to fruition. "This is a dream, absolutely, it came true," Campbell said.

Apparently, racing fans didn't mind the dust in Campbell's dream. There were people everywhere, a real live traffic jam out front. The police had to turn some people away. The Pinnacle staff's estimate of the crowd was 9,500.

A fine start

It was a wonderful sight for Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano, who welcomed the project which expects to create 1,200 jobs and thousands of other trickle-down gigs. "It's fantastic," Ficano said. "And it has an economic impact and that's key to us in the county."

Everything didn't go off without a hitch, of course. The gremlins delayed the start of the first race, scheduled for 2:30 p.m., by 28 minutes. The starting gate wouldn't open. For a brief moment, fans started to grumble as they had to put their anticipation on hold. But when the race started, they were all glued to the action. You could hear the buzz of the crowd as the horses came roaring down the stretch.

Mast thought the delay was a blessing in disguise. "When the gates didn't open, any horse in the field could have won," he said. "It was up for grabs at that point.

"But thankfully, my horse stepped up to the plate and got the job done."

Mast was thrilled that his horse, Equally Good, the No. 5, pulled off the upset of favorite Hot Chili in the Lansing Stakes. "It was unbelievable, an out-of-body experience," he said.

Jockey Ricardo Barrios, who rode Equally Good, gave the new track high marks.

Race fans were definitely excited. But no one was more pumped than the horse's trainer, Robert Gorham, who was at the finish line jumping and cheering his horse to victory.

"Horse racing is emotional," Gorham said. "The highs are high, the lows are low.

"Because they're animals, they are kind of an extension of yourself. And if you can't get excited, and can't enjoy it, you might as well not be in the business."

And by the look at that parking lot, Pinnacle has to be glad it's in business.

You can reach Rob Parker at rob.parker@detnews.com.

Event Photos (Click to enlarge)