2005 - Harness Tracks of America, Inc.

HARNESS TRACKS OF AMERICAExecutive NewsletterA daily fax and e-mail report on racing and gaming developments in North America and beyondStanley F. Bergstein, EditorTHE TWO BEST ARE OUTIn a twist of ironic timing, harness racing and thoroughbredracing lost their brightest stars in oneweek’s time. After the announcement ofGhostzapper’s retirement, taking the world’s bestrunner from the scene, harness racing lost its 2004Horse of the Year, the brilliant pacing mare RainbowBlue, to a tendon tear. Now four, RainbowBlue has won 30 of 32 lifetime starts, includingher last 13 races in a row, and is sidelined withearnings of $1.4 million. She is four for four thisyear, and was scheduled to start tomorrow nightat the Meadowlands in the $215,000 Lady LibertyPace. Trainer and co-owner George Teague sayshe will seek second and third opinions, but atpresent it appears the great mare will not raceagain this year.DALEY GETS ‘SUPERVISION’Trainer Noel Daley, charged by New Jersey statepolice with possession of hypodermic needles andsyringes and possession of prescription drugs withouta prescription, gets off with an $833 fine and ayear of court supervision. Judge Bonnie L.Goldman of Chesterfield Township MunicipalCourt granted Daley a conditional discharge,meaning no plea or admission of guilt is entered,and if no additional offenses are committed duringa specified monitoring period, the chargesare dismissed. Daley’s attorney said he had intendedto go to trial, but the program acceptedwas available, and, “It’s just a lot more costeffective and we can on with life.” He claimedthe items seized by State Police on March 2 atDaley’s aptly named Magical Acres were obtainedthrough a veterinarian and administeredby a vet.In Illinois, meanwhile, the Illinois RacingBoard relicensed Agostino Siciliano, whohad been given a lifetime suspension in1987 after urine tests on his horses showedJune 16, 200521 positives for Etorphine, or elephant juice.And in Kentucky, in a move not unexpected, thestate HBPA has resorted to an end run to avertchanges proposed by both the state’s Drug TestingCouncil and the Kentucky Racing Authority.The horsemen have appealed to their legislativefriends, and according to bloodhorse.com HouseSpeaker Larry Clark, a member of the InterimJoint Committee on Licensing and Occupations,wants the staff to get answers on whether all interestedparties have had a chance to be heard, andwhether the national Racing Medication and TestingConsortium’s standards need to be adopted intotal in the Bluegrass. Clark also is inquiring intothe drug council’s budget. Sound familiar?UGLY TIMES IN NEW YORKWhen government agencies issue reports,confirming or refuting them becomes a task forthe accused, and black headlines pour forth.They were jet black today after New York statecomptroller Alan G. Hevesi called the New YorkRacing Association “the poster child for mismanagementand corruption,” and claimed NYRAviolated state law and its own policies by awardingno-bid contracts during a 2-year audit periodcovering 2002-2004. Hevesi said NYRA “isthe worst agency of all, in my experience.” Oneof his charges was that NYRA awarded a no-bidcontract for $797,913 to a Web services companyowned by the daughter and son-in-law ofBarry K. Schwartz, the former NYRA chairmanand CEO, and called for his resignation alongwith other directors who served before the appointmentof the monitors. Schwartz, respondingto the articles, called Hevesi a liar, sayingthat contract was bid out and asking, “How doessomebody this dumb get a job in this state?” Wehave a question of our own. How does MGMMirage, which announced today it would managea 4,500-unit VLT facility at Aqueduct, getthat lush assignment in New York withoutbidding for the contract?