Casino meetings are popular for the
simple reason that many people love to gamble. But meetings with a
gaming component have the potential to become alienating, as
normally sociable attendees can get carried away in their solitary
pursuit of the elusive jackpot. A more communal experience can be
had at a racetrack, where attendees can root for their personal
favorites even while remaining a group.
But that’s just one compelling reason
for planners to consider a day (or two) at the races. For groups
and special events, horse racing tracks in the United States and
Canada have several advantages over other sports venues. For one,
horse races require much more space to conduct than, say, a
basketball game, and therefore, the tracks that host them have more
room to cultivate a wide array of meeting spaces.
The so-called sport of kings also has a
long history of color, pageantry and elegance associated with it,
lending a rarefied cachet to an event. This tradition extends to
the track grounds, many of which are beautiful and well-manicured,
as are the horses themselves. These graceful yet powerful animals
are thrilling to watch as they thunder around an oval with jockeys
astride, the surrounding crowd roaring in exhortation and approval.
And did we mention there’s gambling?
What follows is a tip sheet on three of
the most history-rich, picturesque and best-loved tracks in North
America, including details on meeting spaces and expert commentary
courtesy of Irwin Cohen, vice president and senior editor of the
Daily Racing Form, horse racing’s hands-down bible. And
they’re off!
Churchill Downs
Louisville, Ky.
(800) 28-DERBY, ext. 4450
www.churchilldowns.com
Future race dates: Oct. 26-Nov. 29, 2008; late April-early July,
November 2009
In the words of the Daily Racing
Form’s Cohen, Churchill Downs is “racing’s most enduring and
recognizable racetrack,” thanks in part to its grandstand-topping
twin spires, traditional mint juleps in silver cups and elaborate
Derby Day hats. The facility opened in 1875, the same year as the
first running of “the greatest two minutes in sports” -- the
Kentucky Derby. This first leg of the Triple Crown is held here
every first Saturday in May, and the prestige associated with the
event makes it a popular choice for corporate hospitality.
Options available include a
climate-controlled “marquee chalet” tent in the park’s Marquee
Village, which comes with a buffet catering package, a premium bar,
a private patio and closed-circuit TVs to watch the race. Bets can
be made in a special wagering tent set up for the whole of the
Marquee Village. A single chalet (900 square feet, including
patio), which can accommodate 72 people and comes with reserved
grandstand seats for all, costs $84,000. Double chalets are just
what they sound like, including price.
Churchill Downs became a National
Historic Landmark in 1986. From 2002 to 2005, the track underwent a
$216 million renovation that added 79 luxury viewing suites and
meeting spaces to the track, additional seating, dining and
entertainment areas, and more. Two of these newer meeting spaces,
Millionaires Row Four and Six, can accommodate 832 and 576 people,
respectively, at tables of eight. Both of the Millionaires Row
rooms offer four-tier balconies that overlook the finish line, as
well as betting windows, TVs and the Grand Chef Table catering
package.
A SURE THING
Alan Jania, president and CEO of the Aurora, Ill.-based Diamond Envelope Corp., has been holding an annual customer appreciation day at the Arlington Park racetrack in Chicago for almost two decades. What keeps his company coming back?
“It began with our group playing golf one morning at the Orchard Country Club near Chicago,” Jania says. “When we were leaving the courses, one of our group of eight said, ‘Hey, let’s go to Arlington.’ That was 19 years ago, and now we have in excess of 70 guests every year, mostly in July, in the Governor’s Room at the track.
“We still have the morning golf portion, and then we have the afternoon at the races. We keep coming back to the track because Arlington’s service and hospitality make our customers and clients feel comfortable and like regular track participants, even though most of them have never been to a track before. As for me,” Jania notes, “I don’t bet on the horses, but I love the atmosphere.” -- H.R.S.
Arlington Park
Chicago
(847) 385-7500; www.arlingtonpark.com
Future race dates: through Sept. 21, 2008; early May-September
2009
Arlington Park, which is owned by
Churchill Downs Inc., might not be one of the most storied race
tracks in the world, but it is “one of racing’s most elegant
facilities,” says Cohen, and one of the most well-run places to
hold a race-day event in North America.
Opened in 1927, the park has managed a
number of “firsts” over the years, including the introduction of
trifecta wagering (wherein bettors place a combined bet on the
horses they believe will come in first, second and third) and the
world’s first-ever thoroughbred race for a prize of $1 million, in
1981.
Unfortunately, just four years after
that million-dollar milestone, a disastrous fire destroyed the
track’s clubhouse facility, necessitating its closure until the
park was rebuilt and reopened in 1989. Since then, and especially
since the track’s merger with Churchill Downs in 2000, Arlington
Park has focused on enhancing the beauty and cleanliness of the
facility, as well as the friendliness and helpfulness of its
customer service staff Ñ all the better for a meeting group.
Arlington has a plethora of group
options, including the polished Governor’s Room, which can fit 175
people and features a balcony that overlooks the action, as well as
TVs for indoor viewing, private wagering windows and a variety of
buffet options.
On the track’s fifth floor, specialty
suites range in size from the John Henry, with finish-line views
(20 people for $2,500; additional guests of up to 35 are $52 more
per person), to the Secretariat (60 people for $6,000; additional
guests of up to 100 also run $52 each). Prices quoted include
admission and a racing program for each attendee, as well as a
two-hour buffet.
Marquee tents, at ground level just
beyond the finish line, accommodate a maximum of 100 people in a
relaxed outdoor setting (60 guests, $3,250; additional guests, $37
each). For larger groups, tents can be combined to host a maximum
of 600.
Arlington Park also can provide prepaid
wagering vouchers for participants, available in denominations of
$2, $5, $10, $20 and $50.
Woodbine Racetrack
Toronto
(888) 675-RACE
www.woodbineentertainment.com/
woodbine
Live racing year-round
The arboreal epithet woodbine
has been associated with Canadian horse racing since 1874, when the
original track by that name was built on Toronto’s then-fringes.
The current Woodbine Racetrack hails from the summer of 1956, when
the 680-acre park was opened on Toronto’s northwest side.
Labeled by Irwin Cohen as “the jewel of
Canadian racing, with some of North America’s finest and most
unique turf racing surfaces,” Woodbine indeed stands out for its
three different kinds of track: turf (grass), harness and synthetic
poly, which allow for a variety of races to be held on a single
day. It also holds the distinction of being the track where the
greatest horse in the history of racing, Secretariat, ran and won
his last race.
The facility has undergone several
multimillion-dollar renovations since it opened, and in 2000, a
56,000-square-foot slot area with 1,700 slot machines was
added.
Woodbine is good at making a racetrack
outing a success for first-timers, thanks to a staff of “How to
Bet” customer service reps who can present a group with an overview
of how to play the ponies, as well as helpful extras such as
betting vouchers (in amounts from $2 to $100) and group paddock
tours.
Meeting and event spaces at Woodbine
include the Northern Dancer Room (with 2,310 square feet
accommodating up to 200 for a reception), featuring
floor-to-ceiling windows that look out over all three racetracks;
the smaller, clubby Munnings Room (792 square feet, holding up to
30 classroom-style); and the Post Parade dining room (front and
back sections together, 4,716 square feet, hosting up to 400 for a
dinner).
To get closer to the action, Woodbine’s
7,500-square-foot Trackside Tent (with a 3,300-square-foot viewing
patio raised just six feet above the racing surface) can fit
anywhere from 40 to 400 people. The tent can be heated (it’s
available May through October) and has 40 TVs on which to view the
day’s races. For groups of 500 to 800, get the biggest event box in
town by having Woodbine transform its third-floor grandstand into a
dining and racing venue with outdoor patio.