ST. CROIX — The thunder of hoofbeats will return to the Clinton E. Phipps Racetrack on Nov. 3, members of the St. Thomas-St. John Horse Racing Commission heard on Friday afternoon. According to Southland Gaming’s Shaine Gaspard, another race day is planned for December.
David Edmonds, Southland Gaming’s developer representative, reported during Friday’s meeting that the developer is “essentially 80% complete” with their work on the St. Thomas racetrack.
“Which is well under our expected timeframe,” he said. Half of the project was required to be completed within two years, Edmonds said, but the developer expects to have the entire project completed by then.
During Friday’s meeting, Sports, Parks and Recreation Commissioner Calvert White Jr. stated that the rules and regulations for horse racing in the territory had been published to the DSPR website.
“We are just waiting for Department of Justice [sic] to approve those rules,” White said. “But the horsemen, the public, everybody can go and see what the new rules and regulations for the horse racing industry in the Virgin Islands will be.”
After White’s stipulation, the commission voted to grant Southland Gaming temporary promotership. Hugo Hodge — chair of the commission — said they received temporary promotion requests from Southland, a horsemen association and a private citizen.
Gaspard thanked the commission and said the key to success wasn’t just about building a track and offering purse money.
“It’s about transforming the event into a premier social occasion everybody feels compelled to attend. I mean, while horse enthusiasts are gonna come no matter what — we have a big crowd of those people — it’s about attracting a broader audience,” he said. “And that’s what’s essential to make that day a fun day and a family day.”
Gaspard said additional attractions like live bands, DJs and food trucks will encourage more people to attend future events.
Based on comments from Hodge and Dr. Laura Palminteri, another commissioner, a request for qualifications to determine a permanent promoter appeared to still be in the works. Palminteri said they want the document to be as clear as possible and that they’re looking for applicants with experience promoting major events — and ideally, horse races.
“Something we’ve talked about the last four or five years is to advance our horse racing from a hobby to an actual industry — and we’re getting there,” she said. “So I think this would be our next big step forward, getting to that stage, and I look forward to going forward with it.”
