Randall Doc James Racetrack on St Croix and the Push to Reopen
M.A. Dworkin
St, Croix Horse racing on St. Croix has never been only about the horses. At its best, race day has been a community gathering, a family outing, a betting tradition, a showcase for local owners and trainers, and a point of pride for Crucians who see the sport as part of the island’s social history.
That is why the long closure of Randall “Doc” James Racetrack has carried so much weight. The track is not just a sports facility waiting on repairs. It is a public space tied to memory, employment, agriculture, entertainment, and the economy. Its story runs from local racing traditions to the devastation of Hurricane Maria, then into a complicated effort to rebuild a modern venue that can survive in the business model of racing today.
The roots of horse racing on St. Croix run deeper than one venue
Horse racing has been part of Virgin Islands life for generations. Before modern facilities, racing grew out of local competition, horse ownership, informal wagers, and the pride that came with training a winning animal. On St. Croix, where agricultural land and rural estates shaped much of the island’s identity, horses held a practical and cultural place long before organized racing became a formal attraction.
Randall “Doc” James Racetrack gave that tradition a more permanent home. The facility became the island’s central setting for race days, drawing owners, trainers, jockeys, vendors, bettors, families, and spectators into one shared space. Its name honors Randall “Doc” James, remembered in the community for his association with the sport and public life.
The track grew into a gathering place where several parts of Crucian culture overlapped:
Sport and competition
Owners and trainers measured years of work in a few intense minutes on race day.
Family and community
Race days brought together people who might not see each other often outside holidays, festivals, or church events.
Small business activity
Food vendors, transport providers, stable workers, grooms, and others benefited from the flow of people.
Local identity
Racing gave St. Croix a sporting tradition that felt homegrown, not imported.
At a racetrack, the grandstand matters as much as the finish line. It is where stories are told, bets are argued, children learn the names of horses, and longtime fans compare new contenders with the great horses they remember. Randall “Doc” James Racetrack held that role for St. Croix.
For many residents, the track was also a link between generations. Racing knowledge often passed through families. People learned how to read a horse’s condition, how to judge a jockey’s patience, and how to understand the difference between a fast horse and a race-ready horse. That kind of knowledge does not come from a scoreboard. It comes from years at the rail.
Hurricane Maria turned a damaged venue into a crisis
Hurricane Maria struck the U.S. Virgin Islands in September 2017 and left deep damage across St. Croix. Homes, schools, public buildings, roads, utility systems, and businesses all felt the impact. Randall “Doc” James Racetrack was among the island landmarks that suffered badly.
The storm did not simply delay a racing schedule. It damaged the physical core of the venue. The track surface, stands, and supporting structures were left in a condition that made racing unsafe and impractical. The grandstand, which had served as the public heart of race day, was battered. The racing surface and surrounding areas also required major repair before horses, riders, and spectators could safely return.
For a sport that depends on routine, the effect was severe. Horses need consistent training. Owners need scheduled races to justify continued investment. Trainers, grooms, jockeys, and stable workers need active meets to earn. Bettors and fans need a calendar. Once that rhythm breaks, the whole ecosystem weakens.
The post-Maria closure also raised a larger problem. Rebuilding a racetrack is not like reopening a small shop after repairs. A racing venue needs:
A safe racing surface
Functional barns and backstretch areas
Grandstands or spectator areas
Betting systems and regulatory oversight
Security and crowd control
Utilities, drainage, and storm resilience
A business plan that can support purses and operations
Without all of those pieces working together, a track may reopen briefly but struggle to hold a full season. That is one reason the recovery of Randall “Doc” James Racetrack became a long and contentious public issue rather than a simple construction project.
The emotional impact also mattered. St. Croix had already lost familiar places to storms, economic pressure, and aging infrastructure. The racetrack’s silence became a visible reminder of how Maria changed daily life, even years after the winds passed.
VIGL’s plan aimed to rebuild more than a racetrack
After the storms, attention turned to how St. Croix could bring racing back in a way that would last. VIGL, often discussed in connection with casino and racing operations in the Virgin Islands and the Caribbean, became central to plans for reopening and modernizing the venue. Although VIGL eventually decided to back off of the deal that was sculpted under the Mapp Administration, their intentions were just.
Their ambition was not only to patch the old facility. Their vision called for a modern racing and entertainment destination, the kind of venue that could host live racing while also supporting year-round activity. That matters because traditional racetracks around the United States and the Caribbean have struggled when they rely only on admissions, concessions, and on-track betting during race days.
A modernized Randall “Doc” James Racetrack has been described in public discussion as a potential world-class facility. In practical terms, that kind of goal would likely include:
A rebuilt racing surface designed for safety and drainage
New or upgraded grandstands
Better stabling and backstretch areas
Modern wagering technology
Simulcast racing, where allowed by law and regulation
Food, beverage, and entertainment spaces
Gaming options that can generate revenue beyond race days
Space for community events and tourism-related activity
This broader model is important. A racetrack that hosts only a limited number of live race days has a hard time covering the cost of maintenance, staffing, insurance, purses, and capital improvements. A track with entertainment and gaming revenue has more ways to stay open, keep workers employed, and fund racing.
The phrase “world-class” can sound broad, but for St. Croix it points to something specific. The island needs a facility that can serve local fans first, while also giving visitors a reason to attend. That balance is not easy. If a rebuilt venue feels disconnected from local racing culture, it risks losing the very people who gave the track meaning. If it ignores tourism and entertainment revenue, it risks falling short financially.
The next operators challenge, then, is both economic and cultural. The project must meet modern business realities while respecting the traditions that made the track worth saving.
The gambling debate has become central to the track’s future
No issue has shaped the reopening debate more than gambling rights. That includes Governor Albert Bryan’s proposal involving Southland Gaming and the pushback it received from senators.
The proposal drew opposition from legislators who questioned whether granting Southland Gaming additional gambling rights would be fair, wise, or harmful to existing arrangements tied to racing redevelopment. Senators raised concerns about competition, market saturation, public benefit, and the effect on the companies already expected to help revive horse racing.
At the center of the dispute is a difficult question: who should control the gaming revenue that helps support racing?
For many people outside the industry, gambling may seem separate from horse racing. In reality, the two have been connected for a long time. Wagering is what turns a race into a betting market, and betting revenue helps fund the purses that attract owners and trainers. Without meaningful purses, horses do not ship, owners do not invest, and trainers cannot keep barns active.
That is even more true today. Modern racetracks often need gaming beyond traditional pari-mutuel wagering. Many tracks rely on casino-style gaming, video lottery terminals, simulcasting, or other regulated betting options. These revenue streams help support:
Purses for winning horses and placing contestants
Track maintenance and safety improvements
Jockey and horsemen support systems
Staffing and security
Racing commission and regulatory costs
Facility upgrades
The purse issue is especially important. A purse is not just prize money. It is the economic engine of racing. Owners pay for feed, veterinary care, training, transport, staff, and stable space long before a horse enters the gate. If purses are too low, the risk outweighs the reward. A weak purse structure leads to fewer horses, smaller fields, less betting interest, and a weaker race day product.
That creates a cycle. Better purses attract better participation. Better fields attract more fans and bettors. More betting and attendance can support more racing. The opposite is also true. Low purses lead to thin fields, thin fields reduce interest, and reduced interest makes the track harder to sustain.
For Randall “Doc” James Racetrack, the debate over gambling is not a side issue. It is part of the core business plan.
Still, senators’ concerns reflect real public policy questions. Gambling rights are valuable. When government grants or expands them, residents deserve clarity about who benefits, how revenue will be shared, what protections will exist, and whether racing will actually receive the support promised.
The public also has a fair interest in responsible gambling. Any modern facility that includes gaming must include strong oversight, age controls, auditing, and programs that address problem gambling. Economic development cannot be the only measure of success.
Why the racetrack matters beyond racing
The future of Randall “Doc” James Racetrack is often framed as a dispute among government officials, gaming companies, and racing interests. That frame misses a major point. The venue matters because it sits at the intersection of culture and economy.
A functioning race day supports more than the owners of winning horses. It can create or restore activity for:
Grooms and exercise riders
Trainers and jockeys
Feed and supply sellers
Food vendors
Maintenance workers
Security workers
Taxi and transport operators
Local entertainers
Small merchants
The track can also serve as a community venue beyond horse racing. A modern facility with seating, parking, utilities, concessions, and event space could host concerts, festivals, cultural events, and family gatherings. That kind of use would help justify investment and keep the property active between race meets.
For St. Croix, the social value may be just as important. Many communities have places that hold shared memory. They are where people remember parents and grandparents, old rivalries, famous wins, and afternoons that felt larger than ordinary life. Randall “Doc” James Racetrack is one of those places.
The challenge is making memory financially sustainable. Nostalgia alone cannot pay for a safe track surface, rebuilt stands, or competitive purses. At the same time, gaming revenue alone cannot recreate the trust and tradition that gave the track its meaning. The future depends on both.
The path forward requires trust, funding, and a clear public benefit
The story of Randall Doc James Racetrack on St Croix and the Push to Reopen is still unfinished. The island has the history. It has the fan base. It has horsemen and horsewomen who want racing back. It also has unresolved questions about gambling rights, legislative approval, private investment, and the best way to balance public interest with commercial need.
A successful reopening will require more than a ribbon cutting. It will need a clear operating plan that answers basic questions:
How will purses be funded over time?
How will gaming revenue be monitored and shared?
What protections will prevent the racing side from being neglected?
How will local horsemen, vendors, and workers benefit?
What standards will guide safety for horses, jockeys, and spectators?
How will the facility remain useful between race days?
Those answers matter because the community has already waited through storm damage, stalled hopes, and political conflict. Each new proposal carries the weight of past delays.
The most promising future is one where the racetrack returns as both a racing venue and a broader entertainment site, but not at the cost of its identity. St. Croix does not need a generic gaming hall with a track attached. It needs a rebuilt Randall “Doc” James Racetrack that honors horse racing, supports local livelihoods, welcomes families, and uses modern revenue tools to keep the sport alive.
The track’s journey from cultural landmark to hurricane casualty to proposed modern venue shows how difficult preservation can be when tradition meets economics. Yet the reason the debate continues is simple: people still care. As long as they do, the push to reopen Randall “Doc” James Racetrack remains more than a construction issue. It remains a fight for a piece of St. Croix’s living history.
