Memories are sure bet at state’s last harness track

POMPANO BEACH — This Pompano Beach horse track once thrived on spectacle, luring thousands each night to the “Winter Capital of Harness Racing.”

Some nights, the crowds at Pompano Park increased the city’s estimated population by a fourth. More than 50 years ago, they started coming for the harness racing, an extravaganza whose origins link to the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia, a kind of tourney mentioned in Homer’s “The Iliad.”

They cheered as racers reclined in twowheeled carts and shook the reins, urging their horses to advance. The crowds, who once included the likes of Jackie Gleason, Kaye Stevens and Rodney Dangerfield, have thinned at Florida’s last remaining harness racing track. Now, changes are on the way.

Pompano Beach Mayor Lamar Fisher said he met with Isle Casino’s leaders this week and plans are to tear down the old grandstand and build a 400-room hotel on the Isle Casino’s property.

After the first phase, the site, at 777 Isle of Capri Circle, may be developed into a retail, restaurant and office complex similar to the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood. He said the Isle Casino has partnered with The Cordish Cos., the same company that developed the Hard Rock.

“This is a major game-changer for Pompano,” Fisher said.

The old grandstand closed after the current grandstand was built 10 years ago. Isle officials aren’t saying anything about the long-term plans for the old grandstand beyond a sign that says the building is permanently closed to the public. How the development will fit in with the existing track is unclear as plans have not yet been submitted to the city.

There is still harness activity afoot. Jennifer Swope, spokeswoman for Isle Casino, which owns Pompano Park, said she’s working on firming up a racing schedule for next year. The track, which opened in the 1960s, is filled with memories.

Fisher said he used to go there even as a young boy. “My grandfather was part owner of some of the horses there,” he recalled. “I would go with him to the stables and to watch the races.”

Frank Cavaioli, a retired history and political-science professor, wrote a book titled “Pompano Park Harness Track,” published in 2005 by Arcadia Publishing. He wrote it after going through Pompano Park’s trove of memories.

“It was an experience of old Pompano — where people would dress up, be well-behaved,” said Cavaioli, 88, who placed his share of bets on horses. “There was a kind of charm, an intimacy.”

Meanwhile, the Isle Casino is about to shed more than 50 years of relics from parties past.