2002 - Harness Tracks of America, Inc.

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HARNESS TRACKS OF AMERICA Executive Newsletter A daily fax and e-mail report on racing and gaming developments in North America and beyond Stanley F. Bergstein, Editor INDIANA DOWNS GETS GOING Horsemen were enthusiastic, the track was fast, the purses were solid, and racing secretary Jim Ewart put together full and well matched fields as Indiana Downs made its debut Friday night in Shelbyville, Indiana. An opening night crowd of 3,421 bet $265,933 and enthusiastically accepted the attractive plant that still has finishing touches to complete Gil Short’s ambitious plans. On Saturday night Daisy’s Boy gave ample evidence that the track was just what horsemen said it was -- good and fast -- when he won the Invitational Pace in 1:51.3 over Indiana Downs’ mile track. In another development, the track signed a settlement agreement with the Indiana Racing Commission, effectively ending the litigation between the two. Indiana Downs agreed to pay a fine of $400,000 in two equal installments May 15 and August 15, 2003, and cover commission legal fees of $150,000, for failing to properly disclose its relationship with consultants who violated commission rules in contacts with commissioners. The track also issued full apologies to commission executive director Joe Gorajec for disparaging remarks about his activities in pursuing the charges. The commission, for its part, stated that investigation uncovered no evidence that any of Indiana Downs’ owners and principals “either participated in the conduct giving rise to these violations or in any other type of inappropriate behavior or misconduct.” SYMPOSIUM STARTS TUESDAY The annual Racing Symposium of the Race Track Industry Program of the University of Arizona gets underway tomorrow here in Tucson. As usual, some 1,000 leaders of harness, thoroughbred and greyhound racing will be on hand for weeklong discussions on the state of racing today. December 9, 2002 For those HTAers who are not making the meeting, the daily Executive Newsletter will keep you posted on developments and presentations of interest. Wagering Insurance NorthAmerica, consisting of a number of HTA and other tracks as successor to HTA Insurance, will have a booth during the entire symposium, and brochures have been placed in the registration packets of every registrant. A FIRST FOR JOHN CAMPBELL? There are very few things that John Campbell has not attained in his rise to preeminence as harness racing’s greatest driver, but one of them is Windsor Raceway’s Provincial Cup. That honor is likely to fall to Campbell come Sunday, when he will drive Art Major in the $437,000 final. John won with the leading contender for 3- year-old pacing honors in one preliminary Sunday in 1:51.3 and Art Major will be the favorite in Sunday’s rich final. Dreamfair Vogel won the other elimination in 1:53.3. Both horses are trained by Bill Robinson, who has sent out five previous Provincial Cup winners. McArdle and Three Olives are among others qualifying for the final. A BODY IN A SUITCASE Sounds like a television mystery, and the only reason it gets space here is that the body was found by hunters hiking through pine trees near the entrance to Perretti Farms, one of harness racing’s major breeding farms, in Monmouth county in New Jersey. The victim was an Hispanic in his mid-20s, 5 feet 11 inches tall, with no visible signs of trauma. THE NEW MARTHA STEWART That was the description of the new savior of racing, Rudy Giuliani, given by a Connecticut marketing strategist, who called Giuliani “the Martha Stewart of security.”
HARNESS TRACKS OF AMERICA Executive Newsletter A daily fax and e-mail report on racing and gaming developments in North America and beyond Stanley F. Bergstein, Editor SYMPOSIUM STARTS TODAY The 29th Symposium on Racing organized by the Race Track Industry Program of the University of Arizona got underway at 8 a.m. this morning, with two special sessions kicking off American racing’s biggest get-together. Some 1,000 members of the racing fraternity -- harness, thoroughbred, quarter horse and greyhound -- will have attended a host of sessions before the curtain falls on Friday. Today’s opener is an all-day marathon on insurance, primarily targeted on the workers’ compensation issue for horsemen, since it is sponsored by the American Quarter Horse Association and Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association. Track insurance is certain to arise during the day, and Wagering Insurance NorthAmerica, which evolved from the old HTA Insurance company, will be represented by its counsel, Chicago insurance attorney Dan O’Leary. Eight other speakers are on the morning agenda, followed by an open discussion session in the afternoon. Also scheduled for today is a so-called Racing and Gaming Summit, which starts at 9 and goes on until 4:30. Subjects include The Economic Impact of Gaming Machines at Racing Facilities; The Racetrack/Lottery Partnership; The Politics of Racing and Gaming; a luncheon with Ron Barbaro, chairman and CEO of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming corporation as keynote speaker; Integrating Gaming Into the Racetrack Environment; and The Gaming Product. GEM Communications is sponsoring the event. Speakers are Jane Holmes of Ontario’s OHRIA, Wayne Lemons and Don Johnson of the Delaware Lottery, Gary Loebig of Multimedia Games, Dan Bucci of Lincoln Park, Gerald Aubin of the Rhode Island Lottery, Bennett Liebman of the Racing and Wagering Law Program at Albany Law School, consultant Mike Shagan, Bear Stearns gaming and leisure analyst Michael Tew, and Marc Falcone of the North American Equity Research Group. December 10, 2002 EARLY DATES FOR BIG RACES The realignment of racing dates in Indiana with the addition of Indiana Downs will result in two major pacing events being conducted early in the 2003 season at Hoosier Park. The $200,000 Dan Patch Invitational will be raced on Saturday, April 12, and the $500,000 Hoosier Cup for 3-year-olds will be raced Friday, May 30, which will be closing night for Hoosier next spring. The shortened Hoosier Park season will result in cancellation of other major events. The $250,000 Breeders Filly Stake, the Kentucky Standardbred Sales Company Stakes and John Simpson Memorial Grand Circuit races all will be dropped from the Hoosier stakes schedule next year. OHIO SEASON TRIMMED, TOO The Ohio State Racing Commission has approved shorter 2003 seasons for two tracks, Lebanon Raceway and Scioto Downs, under an arrangment requiring 17% reductions if approved by both track management and horsemen. Those conditions were met by Lebanon and Scioto, horsemen preferring shorter seasons rather than purse reductions. Lebanon will race 94 programs instead of the 113 raced this year, and Scioto will shorten its season from 115 programs to 95. Simulcast agreements also were approved that will have racing neighbors Beulah Park and Scioto Downs in Columbus working cooperatively. Beulah will simulcast from tracks that begin racing at 4 p.m. and earlier, and Scioto will simulcast from those with post times of 4 p.m. and later. Either track may simulcast California afternoon racing that begins racing after 4 p.m. eastern time. Scioto also will be able to simulcast on afternoons during the Grand Circuit meeting at the Delaware County Fair, home of the Little Brown Jug. SYMPOSIUM REPORTS The Executive Newsletter will carry news from the Racing Symposium all week.
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2002 - Harness Tracks of America, Inc.

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