Friday, First Hanover foal of 2011...p 2 January 21, 2010 Swick training ...p. 3 For more information on Update, call (732) 530-6678 [email protected] European Report....p 3 www.harnessracingupdate.com

Rovine is back...sort of building, to see racing going on live but also draw them to By Mike Farrell something they were very comfortable and familiar with. Seeing David Rovine listed as high bidder for one of the “Before the concerts, I would have people walk around sales topper at Monday’s Select Mixed Sale at the Mead- with portable betting machines on their hips, selling tickets owlands was a blast from the past as he took home For- to people sitting on the grass waiting for the concert to eign Officer (Western Ideal) for $150,000. begin. We were showing racing on two giant screens, “I think he can be an Open 4-year-old pacer this year,” introducing thousands and thousands of new customers to Rovine said “That’s the intention, and hopefully, he’ll be the track, teaching them how to bet once they were there even more than that. You like to believe they can earn and growing the product.” what you paid for them in a year’s time and then go on These days, Rovine is back in the theater full time. He is from there. the general manager of the Progress Energy Center's “I’ve always Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg, Fla., booking acts by taken a business day and supervising productions at night. The 2,031 seat approach to this. I theater has hosted Jerry Seinfeld, Seal, Broadway shows love the animal. I and symphony orchestras. love the sport but Deep down, Rovine still misses the go-go action of the you also have to racetrack. take it seriously. I “I do,” he said. “I’ve always had a passion for . like to buy quality I’ve always been involved with horses all my life. I’ve horses. I think ridden forever, and I do miss that. The theater has been quality pays off.” my other passion. That’s what I am doing again. Booking There was a the shows, the events. There is not time for both. (Cont.) time, from the mid to late 1980s, when Rovine rou- David Rovine tinely bought and sold top-class racehorses. He teamed with Joe Holloway to rule the Meadowlands, with the stable winning a re- cord-setting 106 races there in 1987. That seems like a lifetime ago. Holloway split the following year, going out on his own and enjoying more success while Rovine drifted back toward his roots in show business. “The tax laws changed back then when we were putting together partnerships and that slowed down the partner- ship investments,” Rovine said. “When Joe went on his own, I kind of took stock of where I was and where my priorities were at the time. I felt my greater contribution could be in promoting the sport.” The next major racing venture for Rovine was a nine-year stint as marketing director at Gulfstream Park where he drew on his family background, having owned a dinner theater in Orlando for 13 years. Rovine believed then, and still does, that you have to put on more of a show than simply serving up another race card. Rovine turned Gulfstream into a concert venue every weekend, integrating live racing with on-stage musical performances. “I brought entertainment elements to the track and then taught the people how to play once they were there,” Rovine said. “I thought it was critical to get them into the HarnessRacingUpdate.com • 1/21/11 • PAGE 2 of 4

Rovine, cont. So right now, I leave the training responsibilities to other people.” Rovine has ownership stakes in seven or eight horses divided between Josh Green and Tony Alagna, who trained Foreign Officer last year and will retain the in his barn. First foal of 2011 at Hanover The days of being a hands-on participant are in the past. A Cam's Card Shark filly was born on Tuesday, Jan. 18, “I get to see the races live on my computer,” Rovine said. at 3:30 a.m. at Hanover Shoe Farms, marking the first foal “Unfortunately, I’m working the same schedule. We have to be born this season. She is also a first foal from the shows at night and I have to be here in the daytime to run broodmare Arm’s Reach (All American Native), a winner the business. I don’t get to shake away as much I would in 16 starts, and will be one of over 350 to hit the ground like to but I watch at every opportunity and follow it very at the Pennsylvania nursery between January and June. aggressively.” Arm’s Reach is owned by Russell Williams. What Rovine sees from a distance is a game in transition with some enticing business opportunities. “I love the sport,” Rovine said. “That’s why I’m back in it. I believe now with the slot-infused purses at the different tracks that it’s worth owning race horses. It’s a good busi- ness. It’s only a good business for me as long as it’s thriv- ing and growing.” One of the keys to growth is a revived Meadowlands, assuming the potential investor group headed by Jeff Gural can work out a long-term lease deal with the state of New Jersey to keep the track operating. Rovine is sad- dened to see the Big M fall to this perilous state. “It’s very unfortunate,” Rovine said. “I think the leaders of the industry need to work together to find better ways to promote and sell the product. If one of the greatest tracks in the sport can’t survive, what does that say about the rest of the tracks? I think we need to look hard at ourselves. The industry has brought speakers to the table, and brought professionals to the table who have told us you can’t roll out the same product night after night and day after that day that is experiencing a dramatic decline in attendance and acceptance, and think that’s going to change by doing the same thing. Yet, we still do the same thing.” While happily ensconced in the theatrical world, Rovine The filly by Cam's Card Shark-Arm's Reach was the first would answer the call if a new management team at the 2011 foal at Hanover Shoe Farms. Hanover Shoe Farms photo. Meadowlands reached out for help. “It would be a challenge I would happily accept,” Rovine said. “I believe I could do it. I believe I am the person. I felt I could do it at Gulfstream and I did increase attendance Tune in to the Bob Heyden Report for the best in and handle. I do think I am one of those people who sees harness racing talk, every Saturday at 10:15 a.m. the big picture. We get very lost in our involvement in the Eastern on the Eclipse Award-winning sport and don’t understand what the customer is saying radio program and looking for. DOWN THE STRETCH “Dinner theaters have come and gone, drive-in movies every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Eastern are gone. Racing is a non-essential product. I love it but SIRIUS Channel 126 & XM Channel 243 the rest of America does not seem to love it. We’re not interesting and intriguing enough to new people to grow Hosted by Dave Johnson and Bill Finley the product right now. We have to figure out our best face, Call in with your questions to 866-900-6451 and put it forward. I believe racing can win. I believe it can succeed. We just have to make it more appealing to the general public.” For SIRIUS/XM radio go to www.siriusxm.com HarnessRacingUpdate.com • 1/21/11 • PAGE 3 of 4

Worried About NJ, Swick Dabbling in Thorough- racing) that I have. I have come to understand the theory breds of fitness with these horses. I never worked the 4-year-old By Bill Finley mare an inch more than five-eighths, yet she could take Lake Worth, Fla.–Don Swick pulled off an unusual feat in off running at Pompano and not stop till she gets to Miami. 2010 when he was the only trainer to win both Standard- I don’t understand it sometimes. But it has to do with our bred and races. But he didn’t make the horses being on a forced gait, which is so much more transition to Thoroughbreds because he wanted a unique tiring. You have to do so much more muscle memory work place in the record books. Rather, he wants to be prepared with . With Thoroughbreds, they are doing should the day come when he needs to change careers. something natural. It’s mostly a matter of whether they are “One of my reasons for getting into Thoroughbreds was fit or not and knowing where to run them.” to get my feet wet because I don’t know how to do any- thing else besides training horses,” Swick said. “I’m not stupid, but I don’t know anything else. What else am I going to do at 61 years old? It’s not a career at this point or a career change. It’s a backup plan. Whatever tubby (Chris Christie) decides to do in New Jersey could mean Lisa America back to racing in April the end of the road. It will devastate the harness racing industry if we lose the Meadowlands. I am trying to be Hall of Famer Lou Guida's top Italian trotter Lisa Amer- prepared. I know now that I can support myself as a Thor- ica is resting after a tough campaign in 2010, but her oughbred trainer.” trainer Jerry Riordan plans to get her back in action in the Though the sample size is small, Swick has gotten off to Prix de l'Atlantique to be raced in April at Enghien in Paris. a remarkably good start as a Thor- Until a fortnight ago, Riordan and Guida had plans to oughbred trainer. Only one Thor- race Lisa America in Europe's most prestigious and rich- oughbred has started under his est trotting race, the Prix d'Amerique, Sunday, January 30 name. A filly named Kouloura, she at Vincennes in Paris, but as a blood test showed an was given away by her former infection, Lisa America was never entered in the Prix owner because of infirmities, but Tenor de Baune last Sunday. That should have been her Swick pieced her together and got final prep race before entering the big race. her to win a $50,000 maiden “Lisa America has had a long and a tough campaign in claiming race last year at Tampa 2010, and there was no need to try to get her ready for the Downs. After making two Prix d'Amerique when she not was 100 percent,” Riordan starts for Swick, she was sent to said. “Now she's resting, and I plan to return her to action Canadian-based trainer M.A. in April in France. From there we'll probably go to Oslo Blouin and won a $40,000 claimer and Stockholm in May. However, Lou Guida, who will be at Woodbine. Swick said the filly present at Vincennes, will have starters in the Prix d'Amerique-weekend, as I plan to enter two other of his Don Swick since bowed and he is planning on breeding her. trotters, Laurel America and Melton Kronos (Love You His other horse is Floating Dream, a 3-year-old filly he {Fr}). bought at the Keeneland yearling sales for just $7,000. “Laurel America could race in the Prix Helen Johansson Listed as the owner, Swick sent her to the Philadelphia over 1 5/16 mile and with a total purse of $125,000 dol- Park-based trainer Juan Carlos Guerrero, who got her to lars,” continued Riordan. “She's a good mare who has win a $90,000 maiden special weight race in September. won her last three races. Melton Kronos will be entered in Floating Dreams has raced just twice. an under -race--a monté-race, as they'll call it in These days, Swick divides his time between the South France. This will be the first time we'll try him in such a Florida Trotting Center, where he trains his string of race, but in training he has done fine. He is sired by the Standardbreds, and nearby Palm Beach Downs, where French sire, Love You, and many of his offspring are very Floating Dreams is stabled. good in monté-races. Back in August, I left Melton Kronos He plans to buy at least one more Thoroughbred this with Torbjörn Jansson in Sweden, but for some reason he year at the fall sales. turned out to be the slowest trotter in that country. “I go by many of the same criteria I go by when picking “I took him back some weeks ago and raced him in out Standardbreds,” Swick said. “I know Thoroughbreds Milan on January 6th, where he did a nice impression. He well enough to know what I like and dislike and I know raced this Thursday at the half-mile track in Bologne and what is marketable once it is raced, if it is raced.” had post position 18. However, this race was just to pre- Others have tried to do both, among them Per pare him better for Paris. Henricksen. Greg Peck has bought a few modestly-priced “I don't think either of them can win in Paris, but Lou Thoroughbreds at the sales and will likely make his debut Guida will get an opportunity to see his horses in action at as a Thoroughbred trainer in 2011. Swick said the transi- Europe's biggest racetrack, Vincennes.” (Cont. P. 4) tion is not that difficult. “I'm not saying I’m doing anything better than anybody in Want to Subscribe for FREE? Thoroughbreds,” he said. “They have been doing what Visit www.harnessracingupdate.com and fill out the free they’ve been doing for 100 years and it works for them. I subscription form. am comfortable adding the little (from HarnessRacingUpdate.com • 1/21/11 • PAGE 4 of 4

The Heat is on in Paris The countdown for the Prix d'Amerique is on. Last Sunday the final prep race, The Prix de Belgique, was won by the top Swedish trotter Maharajah (Viking Kronos), and the 6-year old is now among the big favorites. Maharajah is owned by Travkompaniet--a public stable with more than 4,000 stockholders, and many of them will 10, DD, 1-18, $26,000, Pace, FILLIES/MARES Open, probably be at hand at Vincennes on Sunday the 30th. 27.1, 56.4, 1:24.4, 1:52.4, GD In another prep race last Sunday, The Prix Tenor de Shacked Up (m, 5, Western Terror--Sapphire Dawn, by Baune for 6-year old trotters, the Italian mare Lana del Falcon Seelster). O-Baron Racing Stable & Vip Internet Rio, driven by Santo Mollo, just held off a late charge from Stable LLC. B-Tactical Armor Ents. T-Josh Green. D-Eric the 1-5 favorite, Ready Cash, who for the first time, had Goodell, $13,000, Lifetime Record: 44-18-9-7, $1,083,488 his trainer, Thierry Duvaldestin in the bike. Though Ready Cash was disqualified and placed last for 10, DD, 1-19, $26,000, Trot, Open Handicap Post Posi- being rough-gaited finishing second past the post, he's still tion No. 7 Assigned, 27.2, 57.3, 1:26.3, 1:54.4, FT considered as the horse to beat in the Prix d'Amerique. Cold Winner (g, 8, Credit Winner--Fancy Racket, by Mr His regular driver, Franck Nivard, has been sidelined for Lavec). O-Dawn Marie Gannon & Yannick Gingras & three weeks, but this upcoming Sunday he's back in action Frank A Canzone. B-W Springtime Racing Stb & John W at Vincennes, and Nivard will be in the sulky behind Ready Stark Jr. T-Edwin Gannon Jr. D-Ron Pierce, $13,000, Cash in the Prix d'Amerique. Lifetime Record: 140-36-28-19, $564,516. On Sunday, the world's richest under saddle/ monté-race, the Prix de Cornulier, will be contested at Vincennes. The total purse is $950,000 and the distance is 6, Mea, 1-20, $22,500, Trot, **PREFERRED HANDI- the same as in the Prix d'Amerique, 1 11/16 miles. Eigh- CAP**, 27.4, 57.3, 1:26.2, 1:56.0, GD teen trotters are entered, among these are last year's Bettis (h, 6, Sierra Kosmos--Sj's Shad Roe, by S J's winner of the race, One du Rib, and the defending winner Photo) O/B-David W Wade & William F Peel III & Gerald of the Prix d'Amerique, Oyonnax. Oyonnax raced in the W Brittingham. T-David Wade. D-Aaron Merriman, Cornulier last year, where he finished seventh and went on $11,250, Lifetime Record: 65-24-10-9, $173,347 to win the Prix d'Amerique a week later.