Page 53 - 22 March 2013

Little did Wells know that his eventual tran- sition back to Remington would take him south of the border. He worked in Mexico on behalf of Texas’ Lone Star Park, which was affiliated with the reopening of the Hipodromo de las Americas in Mexico City. He also worked in Uruguay to reopen Maronas Racetrack.
“The project in Uruguay was incredible,” he said. “It’s a wonderful country with won- derful people.”
Wells even purchased an occasional horse. He recalls that he was offered the opportunity to buy Invasor, passing because of the six-figure price. Invasor eventually made his way to the U.S., winning the 2006 Breeders’ Cup Classic and becoming that season’s Thoroughbred Horse of the Year.
“He ended up being worth tens of mil- lions,” said Wells of his lost chance for riches. Wells enjoyed his time in Uruguay so much
that he would have happily continued there, except that Oklahoma passed a gaming bill. That would be the saving of Remington Park, and it didn’t take long before Wells’ dream job offer arrived—GM of the track he loved so much.
In 2010, the Chickasaw Nation’s Global Gaming purchased Remington from Magna Entertainment Corp. Since then, Global Gaming has spent millions upgrading the facility and integrating the casino and racing sides of the business in a way not seen in most “racinos.”
“They provide us the resources to make it the elegant, beautiful place that it was built to be,” Wells said. “I think our accommodations and our facility rival any racing facility anywhere.”
Future plans may include building a first-class hotel near Remington. That would probably increase the number of people who visit—already over two million in 2012, up about tenfold in just seven years.
Wells and the entire management team stress the importance that every aspect of the business plays at Remington. In fact, Wells can’t separate his job into the casino side or the racetrack side.
“There’s not a week of the year that goes by that we are not working in some way on our racing, casino, food and beverage, and special- events strategies,” he said. “We always have something going on. We’re unusual among many racinos in that we really do emphasize an integrated product. We are a place to have fun.”
Horse racing is not limited to the live Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred meets because Remington simulcasts year-round.
The facility opened a new sports bar and res- taurant in 2012 called the Bricktown Brewery that overlooks the track’s finish line. People in the restaurant can almost literally play the races and the casino games at the same time.
Remington capitalizes on the popularity of its jockey colony in advertisements during non- racing months. A recent lighthearted campaign featured jockeys in vacation gear waiting for a bus, which pulls up and drives them to the other side of the road for them to head into the casino.
Currently, of course, the jockeys are rid- ing hard during the live meet, the excitement building toward the rich stakes.
“It’s so much fun to see the young horses unveiled at this meet and see what new super- star will emerge,” said Wells, “as well as all of the older horses coming back.”
For 2013, Remington is celebrating its 25th anniversary, something Wells is particu- larly pleased about since he remembers the excitement of a major racetrack coming to Oklahoma 25 years ago.
“We’re looking forward to taking a look back at the 25 years,” Wells said. “We’re going to be honoring our 25-year employees. We’re also very thankful that we’ve had the support of the horse racing community through these 25 years.”
“This is an exceptional place, with a real horse- loving culture. It always stood out to me as one of the shining spots among U.S. racetracks.”
The debut of the 4-story big screen jumbotron at Remington Park in 2011.
The old tote board at Remington Park before they installed one of the nation’s largest racetrack jumbotrons.
Dustin Orona Photography Dustin Orona Photography