Sinatra Takes MJC Job by Storm

by Mike Kane 
Sal Sinatra isn’t exactly easing into his new position as the vice-president and general manager of the Maryland Jockey Club. Now in his seventh week on the job, Sinatra, 50, has already made some changes and has others ready to be teed up. He is looking forward to helping shape the future of racing in the state and the region, which could involve the rebuilding of historic Pimlico and the renovation of once-grand Laurel Park, both aged venues. 

Sinatra spent 16 years at PARX, formerly called Philadelphia Park, and as the director of racing was the architect of the makeover of the stakes program. His biggest success was the 2014 GII Pennsylvania Derby program, which featured GI Kentucky Derby and GI Preakness S. winner California Chrome–named the Horse of the Year and 3-year-old male champ on Saturday–and Bayern, who followed his Pennsylvania Derby score with a win in the GI Breeders‘ Cup Classic, as well as 3-year-old filly champion Untapable in the GI Cotillion S. 

It was a landmark day for Philadelphia racing and among the job offers Sinatra received in the wake of that triumph was an opportunity to oversee the MJC, which owns the Pimilco and Laurel tracks and the Bowie training center. Sinatra succeeded Tom Chukas, widely recognized for taking the tough stand that curbed the alcohol-fueled rowdiness of the Preakness infield and resulted in record attendance last year, and for negotiating a 10-year plan with Maryland horsemen. 

The Maryland Jockey Club is part of the Stronach Group of racing properties founded by businessman Frank Stronach, long a top-level horseman and breeder. 

“I’ve put my faith in Mr. Stronach,” Sinatra said. “He seems to be the one man putting his money back into to the sport. He truly loves horse racing. I truly love horse racing and I feel like I’m with a good company. 

“Obviously the industry is in disarray and everybody is just trying to survive right now. I think he’s the man putting his money where his mouth is. Santa Anita has been successful. Gulfstream is ultra-successful right now. Now we’ve got to focus on Maryland.” 

To that end, Sinatra and Tim Ritvo, the Stronach Group’s COO of Racing based at Gulfstream, have been working together at Laurel Park since Sinatra came aboard on Dec. 8 to change the course of the MJC. Sinatra said the immediate goal is to eliminate an annual operating deficit of $3-4 million by growing the handle and managing expenses. 

“Basically, Maryland has been a loser for Stronach. Tim and I are here to right that ship and get to zero,” Sinatra said. “As we improve what we’re doing here, it will give the Stronach Group faith to go to the next level with the master plan, which keeps changing, as Tim and I are getting acclimated to Maryland racing. There are two sets of groups, the Baltimore fan base and the Washington fan base. We’re trying to figure out what the master plan is going to be.” 

During his first few weeks with the company, Sinatra adjusted post times at Laurel so they don’t conflict with Gulfstream and other tracks, added some wagers and re-worked the schedule to drop Thursdays and add Sundays as race days beginning in February. 

“It seemed odd to me that we’re running on holiday Mondays and not on Sundays when people are off,” he said. “It allows us to run on days when people are off, so they can come and bet on the live product. You should be open. 
“I’m a little late in the game with the Sunday racing. I’m working more toward after Pimlico, what I’m going to do with football. We’re doing a Sunday brunch. We are going to try and upgrade a lot of our television sets, some of the furniture. Little things to try and give the guests a better experience.” 

In addition, Sinatra said that he and Ritvo understand that the MJC’s horsemen, employees and fans have experience through the years with promises that have gone unfulfilled. 

“So we’re just making minor changes to pick up the attitude of everybody,” he said. 

It will take the cooperation of the horsemen, Sinatra said, to improve the product and grow the handle. 

“You’ve got to think long-term, not short-term,” he said. “They have good horsemen here and they get it. You’re going to probably start seeing a little less scratches, hopefully. I’d rather let a guy out of a race because he’s 20-1 and put him in another race. That’s fine, but don’t tell me the horse is sick and I’ve got to scratch him. Everybody has got to be honest. We’re in this together. Field size is a major component of handle.” 

Sinatra aims to build big-event days by bundling stakes on Saturdays and restore to prominence the Pimlico Special and the De Francis Dash, both former Grade I stakes. 

During their time together, Sinatra and Ritvo and adjusted plans for Bowie, the former track that is now a training center. In recent years, MJC and Stronach officials have been aiming to get rid of that property. That idea has been scuttled and Bowie will be retained, but downsized. Sinatra said that the facility will be closed temporarily in mid-April, which will save money, so that new barns can be built in the infield. Some of the acreage will then be available for redevelopment, which will produce revenue for other projects at Pimlico and Laurel. 

“Whatever the master plan is going to be between Laurel and Pimlico, Bowie is important to us because we’re going to have to have horses to operate,” Sinatra said. [Racing Secretary] Georganne [Hale] is going to need her 1,500 to 2,00 horses to fill entries. Let’s just say if I’m going to do the barn area at either place, I’m going to need a place to put those horses to train while I’m working on barns. 

“We’re building two barns here [at Laurel]. The first 150 stalls will be ready Apr. 1, so I’m hoping that by Apr. 15 I have Bowie emptied. A lot of guys go to other tracks in the summer. We will empty Bowie out. We can clean up some [environmental] issues and then that could be my pivot spot, so if I am working at Laurel and have to displace some horses they have a place to go. Or if I’m working at Pimlico, they have a place to go. For the next several years, Bowie is going to be necessary.” 

Sinatra said Stronach corporate officials will decide the scope of the work to be done at Pimlico and Laurel. 
“Obviously, Churchill Downs makes six to seven times as much on the Kentucky Derby as we make on the Preakness and that’s basically because of the facility,” he said. “So it’s a question of how grand of an operation you’re going to make Pimlico. I don’t think a coat of paint is going to work. Both buildings have been kept up pretty well, but they are dinosaurs.” 

Sinatra wasn’t specific, but he said Pimlico is part of the new master plan that is taking shape this winter. 

“We have the Preakness, a gem in the Triple Crown,” he said. “I know that Frank wants it to be in a palace ultimately. The question is going to become: How much of a palace is it going to be?” 

When racing returns to Laurel after the summer hiatus, Sinatra is considering running Friday twilight programs and afternoon cards on Saturdays and Sunday. He said the MJC has approached Delaware Park to discuss a regional approach that could include sharing racing departments and other functions to control expenses. 

“The Mid-Atlantic is pretty congested in the summertime with racing. Maryland currently doesn’t run in June and July and it would be foolish for us to run then when you have Delaware, PARX, Monmouth, everybody running,” he said. “So what we’re trying to do is work with Delaware to make possibly a year-round meet between the three sites, to give opportunities for our Maryland horsemen to run year round. 

“Our guys generally support Delaware when we’re dark, but we want to make it where that is their first option. That will help Delaware’s product and then Delaware’s backside can help us. It’s just what works the best for both places.” 
In recent years, the MJC has raised the purse of the GII Black-Eyed Susan S., run the day before the Preakness, in hopes of attracting high-profile 3-year-old fillies. Sinatra said that approach probably won’t work because the Black-Eyed Susan is too close to the GI Kentucky Oaks. 

“Unfortunately, horses don’t run back in 14 days, so I’m changing the focus,” he said. “I’m saying that the race to really look at is the Pimlico Special, which used to be a Grade I. It sits on a good spot on the calendar, so let’s adjust the purse on one and affect the purse on the other, where we might get some bang for the buck. 

“I think I’m going to go to the Pennsylvania Derby routine and probably bonus the race to try and get the better horses. One thing I’ve noticed with big, big purse stakes is sometimes you get the one horse. I’d rather increase the purse based on the quality of the people in the race.” 

Sinatra said the approach is to write the bonuses into the conditions of the race as he did at PARX. 
“You could say it’s an appearance fee, but it’s the horse I want, the people I want,” he said. “It certainly worked with the Pennsylvania Derby.” 

That bonus program brought the Kentucky Derby winner and Horse of the Year to PARX. Sinatra dared to be different with the Pennsylvania Derby and has brought that positive attitude to Maryland, where he says the MJC can be bigger, better and successful again. 

“I can see the shift with Florida running year round and some horsemen staying there that tracks are condensing their days and running less,” he said. “We’re trying to run more in Maryland and trying to be a force year round. Monmouth and Delaware have condensed days. With the horses and horsemen we have in Maryland we want to expand on that.”