Made my annual opening Saturday visit to the Hallandale Amusement Park to see if there "really" was any "live horse racing" and there was. This years trip turned out different than the last two years where I never returned the rest of the meet but this time I will be back.

The new and improved Gulfstream is just that. A small section of bleacher seating for the leg weary to rest a sore back and watch the horses sprint by. An underneath full card simulcasting section complete with multiple sets of 50+ inch LCD screens showing all kinds of sports surrounded by flowing kegs of suds and tons of food. Perfect setting for the roll up your sleeves handicapping nut.

The horse wizards are gone. Even though the rest of us could see that one coming the resident visionary couldn't. As a matter of fact the entire ground level south section is closed taking away one of the primary handicapping station areas in the house. Appears to be renovated for Poker Tables.

The Paddock was expanded to allow for horses to be saddled in full view in the walking ring area even though most of the trainers saddled indoors because of the heat. The living quarters for the backstretch help looks better than half the hotels on Miami Beach. Track conditions are second to none and even when the Turf Course rail was placed 82 feet out it still looked bigger than most. The racing is second to none and for those coming in from out of town to escape the winter, bring on more global warming right?

The resident visionary walked into the paddock before the last race looking rather portly. So perhaps expect to see a trans fat, low carb menu coming into the fold soon. The visionary clearly has had a few floaters in his eyes over the last six to eight years and perhaps he is looking so portly because of all the leather soles he has been forced to swallow. But slowly but surely he is showing signs of getting it right.

But don't let him get to full of himself. The Hard Rock Casino has everything Frank has except for full card racing but it does include a Pleasure Palace. Scarlets is just a few blocks away in Hallandale and pull $10 dollars out of your pocket in there and the ladies will certainly help you find a seat. Something Gulfstream is just figuring out. So Frank still may need to do some more consolidating. And if he were to collapse in the Dania amusement park just off I-95 there really wouldn't be much left to do.

Except start generating some positive Cash Flow........