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, Editor August 4, 2005SCOTT’S LAWYER YELLS BIAS A REALLY FAR OUT TRACK IDEADeborah Deitsch-Perez, who carries the legal If you haven’t been able to contact Williambriefcase for Shawn Scott, has accused the state Coplen, the former general manager of the Redhearing officer who found Shawn Scott “not a Mile in Lexington, there is a good reason. Hetrustworthy person” of making false assumptions is now with an organization called Exchange UnlimitedLLC, and he has been spending muchand ignoring evidence. The charges, in the SyracusePost-Standard, said, “What the hearing officerdid was he took the testimony of (racing Mongolia, on the northern border of China.of his time in Ulaanbaatar, the capital city ofboard) staff at face value...and then found a reasonto dismiss the testimony of witnesses for taken by the Asia-Pacific Equine InvestmentWilliam was a prime mover in a project under-Scott.” The hearing officer, Russell H. Baller company, formed last year in Lexington to establisha world-class venue and racing product.Jr., heard 15 days of testimony last winter, in connectionwith a Scott appeal of the racing board’s Founder Joe Flynn heads the group, which includesformer Kentucky governor Martha2003 denial of a license to operate racing in NewYork. Ms. Deitsch-Perez said, “You might as well Layne Collins, horseman Larry Richardson,not have had a hearing.” Baller said in his reportthat Scott lied to state regulators on his li-Asia-Pacific Sports Promotion, a subsidiary ofarchitect Cheanault Woodford, and Coplen.cense application and then submitted false documentsto cover up his lies. He also reported that operation in cooperation with the Mongolianthe company, will operate a racing and gamingScott had appointed a convicted felon to run the company Roaring Hooves, which is comprisedtrack and gave testimony that was “not credible.” of numerous individuals and existing racing organizations.Horses are big in Mongolia. YouBaller concluded that Scott “is not fit to be licensedas a track manager in harness racing.” In remember the Mongol hordes from your historyclasses. Flynn got the idea when flyinga separate development, the Washington Postcarried an editorial saying “promoters of legalizingslot machines in the nation’s capital were vir-Ulaanbaatar, and he made inquiries of the U.S.over a racetrack as his plane approachedtually thumbing their noses at D.C. election laws. Ambassador about racing there. Mongolia wasFortunately, the board found that gambling supportershad committed ‘significant and pervasive race meeting there in 2007.enthusiastic, and the group hopes to hold a fullirregularities and improprieties of a magnitudenever previously experienced in this jurisdiction’ENTHUSIASM IN ALBERTA, TOOand it imposed a penalty to match: For the first There is optimism in the province of Alberta, too,time in its history, the board levied fines in the where councillors in Calgary approved, by a votecontext of an initiative petition, in the amount of of 8 to 1, to allow land proposed for a major new$622,880.” The paper said offshore gambling entrepreneurswho backed the project spent, acton,writing in the Calgary Sun, said the Unitedracetrack there to be rezoned. Jonathon Huntingcordingto the board’s counsel, at least $1.7 million.The fines, however, were against a local matters to arrange, including submitting detailedHorsemen of Alberta still have some regulatorycitizen’s committee with $3,410 in the bank. proposals and obtaining land scraping permits, butScott’s name had appeared earlier duringthe Post’s coverage of Virgin Islandwithout difficulty. Dr. David Reid, chairman ofHuntington thinks those issues will be resolvedbackers of the initiative.Horse Racing Alberta, called the council approval“a huge day for horse racing.”