Thursday, April 22, 2011
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Thursday, Gural Farrell on Big Mess...p2 April 22, 2011 HTA Says Just Say No To Drugs...p3 For more information on Harness Racing Update, call (732) 530-6678 Heather Moffett, Beauty Queen?...p4 [email protected] The European Scene...p5 www.harnessracingupdate.com Graduate To Vernon, Cutler To Tioga? Won The West, Qualifies, Takes Aim At Gallo By Bill Finley Blue Chip Record Two rich stakes races on the 2011 Meadowlands stakes By Bill Finley schedule appear headed to New York State and Jeff Won The West (Western Hanover) was back on the Gural-owned tracks. Working in tandem with Meadowlands track yesterday, winning a qualifier at Pocono Downs. With racing secretary Peter Koch, Tioga and Vernon Downs trainer Ron Burke in the bike, he racing officials are in the process of reaching out to owners completed the mile in 1:54 and won and trainers with horses nominated for the Graduate and by 5 ½ lengths. the A.J. Cutler Memorial seeking their permission to move “Everything went fine today and the races. Once a consensus is reached with horsemen, he’ll probably qualify again next which appears likely, the races will move to their new week and then go for the Graduate,” homes for 2011. Burke said. “We’re hoping for one The eliminations for both more big year and that we can make races are currently scheduled a real run at Gallo.” for May 7 at the Meadowlands, With career earnings of but with the current impasse $3,487,024, Won The West is within between Gural and the Mead- hailing distance of Gallo Blue Chip owlands mutuel clerks, it ap- (Magical Mike) ($4,260,959), the pears highly unlikely that the richest pacer of all time. He is cur- Ron Burke, guides Vernon Downs is set to Big M will be open for business Won The West to win host the Graduate rently fourth on the list, also trailing May 7. Mister Big (Grinfromeartoear) and in qualifier “We had to get out front with Eternal Camnation (Cam Fella), this in case they do have to move the races,” said Tioga neither of whom are active. Cont. p2 and Vernon spokesman Nick Salvi. “Considering the Meadowlands situations and with the eliminations coming up pretty fast, time has become an issue. We are doing this with the complete cooperation of Pete Koch and we are contacting people with horses in the Graduate and the Cutler and presenting this option to them. By rule, if you have nominated a horse you have to agree to the change of venue. We have made the calls and laid out what the options are in case the Meadowlands doesn't get re-opened. We just have to make sure that people who are intending to race their horses want to do this, but it is logi- cal that they would because, otherwise, the races might not be held.” The final for both races will be held May 14. The purse for the Graduate is $200,000 and the Cutler is $220,000. Meadowlands Clerks Union Meets With New Jersey Pols By Lucas Marquardt Leaders from the union representing the Meadowlands mutuel clerks met yesterday with two notable New Jersey politicians, Senator Richard Codey and Assemblyman Richard Caputo. It is not clear what was on the agenda of the meetings. Earlier in the day, Pat Bartolotta, president of Local 137 issued a brief statement, which read: "I am continually meeting with key people involved in the process with labor and government to help keep our members working, and to do what's right for the state of New Jersey and our loyal customers." HarnessRacingUpdate.com • 4/22/11 • PAGE 2 of 7 Won the West cont. “He’s $800,000 behind him and he’s capable of putting together that kind of year. I would think it’s a very good possibility and if he stays sounds he has a good shot at it.” Burke’s other older pacing star Foiled Again (Dragon The Big M Mess: Can Anything Be Salvaged? Again) will sit out this week’s round of the Levy Series at By Mike Farrell Yonkers. With the gelding already assured a spot in the It seems the most critical labor vs. management negotia- finals and with a busy schedule on tap, Burke decided to tions always go down to the wire. go easy on him. There are many examples of negotiated agreements “He has to race in the final and then, between the Gradu- struck well in advance of the deadline. The ones that really ate and the Graduate, he’ll be going strong for four weeks matter, the ones that hit home, are usually cliffhangers. in a row after that,” Burke said. “He’s been super for every Growing up in New York City, transit strikes were a periodic race this year and he doesn’t mind having a week off. If fact of life. The entire metropolitan area was glued to televi- you do what’s best for him he’ll do what’s best for you.” sions and radios as the clock ticked down to a strike deci- Won The West was not the only big name in action sion. The news that "clock had been stopped" was always yesterday during qualifiers at Pocono. All Speed Hanover a hopeful sign of last minute progress. (Cam’s Card Shark),a Breeders Crown winner at 2, and We hung in the balance, dreading the announcement of Blacktuxwhitesocks (Credit Winner) also won Pocono a strike that would send us collectively begging and bor- qualifiers. rowing rides from strangers in their cars creeping along the avenues feeding traffic-choked Manhattan. 8 Copyright Harness Racing Update. We don't seem to be moving any faster on the Meadow- This newspaper may not be reproduced in any form or by lands front. any means, electronic or mechanical, without prior Jeff Gural and teller's union didn't make headway in their written permission of the copyright owner, MB meeting on Wednesday. If anything, positions on both Publishing Inc. Information as to the races, race results sides seem to be hardening with time running out. and earnings was obtained from results charts published New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has set May 12 as a by the United States Trotting Association and utilized drop-dead deadline. Gural needs to close deals with the here with the permission of the copyright owner. unions, or the track closes. Cont. p3 HarnessRacingUpdate.com • 4/22/11 • PAGE 3 of 7 Big Mess cont. Any hope of resuming the harness meet on May 7 has all but vanished. Now it's a matter of seeing what can be salvaged. In the depth of the transit strikes, everyone from manage- ment, the workers and the public all knew the trains and buses would resume someday. That's not necessarily the case at the Meadowlands. Horse racing is not a service or product vital to the public interest. It's a fragile business of enormous benefit to the state on so many levels. To survive, without benefit of alternative gaming, it needs all the help it can get. Or it will vanish. That's not a threat. It's simply a fact. If you have any doubts, consider the sudden demise of New York City Off-Track Betting. A corporation that han- dled just under $1 billion a year–that is B as in bil- lion–suddenly closed up shop last December. Many would argue that its demise was long overdue, after decades of disservice to it's patrons. There were others who believed the state would again come to the rescue of the bankrupt NYC-OTB. Wrong. Tired of endless effort that resisted remedy, the legisla- tors in Albany let go the rope. In an instant, it was over. About 1,000 employees lost jobs. About 50 betting parlors went dark. All gone in a heartbeat. An article in Wednesday's Wall Street Journal pointed out that many shuttered parlors and abandoned office space are tough sells in this economy. Ironically, one person trying to lineup new tenants is none other than Jeff Gural, through his Newmark Knight Frank real-estate HTA To Recommend Support of RCI Drug Initiative service firm. So now we wait, bracing for another cliffhanger down to (Press release from HTA) the wire on May 12. In many negotiations, the last and best The Executive Committee of Harness Tracks of America offers aren't on the table until the clock is poised to strike (HTA) has voted to recommend to its Board of Directors 12. that it support the recently announced call by the outgoing This deal is a little tricker. While Gural and the teller's and incoming chairmen of the Association of Racing Com- union are the main protagonists, Gov. Christie is a key missioners International (RCI) for a "five-year phase-out" of player in this drama. equine medication While Gural and the unions have a vested interest in in horse racing in making a deal, Christie does not. He has made it crystal order to bring the clear that New Jersey will exit the horse racing business as United States "in quickly as possible. And Christie doesn't care what hap- line with what is going on in other pens in the aftermath. parts of world." He too is ready to drop the rope. The Executive Committee of HTA agreed that such a proposal is worthy of further discussion within both the Standardbred and Thoroughbred industries in an effort to better serve the health and welfare of the equine athlete, maintain and improve the integrity and image of both sports, and to boost the long-term interests of the overall racing industry.