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 10, 2005MEADOWS READY FOR ADIOSThirteen 3-year-old pacers dropped in the entrybox for Saturday’s $421,800 Coors Delvin MillerAdios, feature attraction of Grand Circuit week atThe Meadows. That called for eliminations -- two$50,000 events -- with last year’s colt championVillage Jolt and driver Ron Pierce the 7-to-5 favoritein the first and the swift P-Forty Seven,driven by the Meadows’ perennial champion DavePalone, top choice in the second. The top four ineach elimination advance to the final.FREEHOLD OPENS BIG MEETThe New Jersey harness racing scene shifts tomorrowfrom the Meadowlands to Freehold Raceway,the nation’s oldest pari-mutuel harnesstrack, where the 2005 meeting marks the renewalof the sport first conducted there 152 years ago,in 1853. The new meeting is loaded with richstakes, including two Triple Crown events for 3-year-olds, the $390,000 Yonkers Trot and$450,000 Cane Pace. Also on the schedule is the$275,000 James B. Dancer Memorial, the$150,000 Shady Daisy, the $150,000 Battle ofFreehold and the $125,000 Molly Pitcher. A hostof stakes for New Jersey-sired horses also willbe featured, on a Tuesday through Saturdayschedule of afternoon racing with a daily post timeof 12:30 p.m. and free admission for the entiremeeting.GEWERTZ TO HAMBO, MUSEUMTed Gewertz, the New York lawyer who is a seniorpartner at one of the city’s major law firms --Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz -- and a partowner, it seems, of every other top harness horsethat hits the track, has new honors. He was namedOwner of the Year by harness writers last year,and now has been elected to the board ofthe Hambletonian Society and as a trusteeof the Harness Racing Museum and Hallof Fame in Goshen.EVERYWHERE BUT HOMEThe Ohio division of HBPA, which recently talkedThistledown management into not sending its simulcastsignals to Northfield Park, now has approvedtransmission of thoroughbred signals fromOhio to TVG, XpressBet and Youbet.com, but hasnot yet come to terms with the Ohio-ownedAmericaTAB, which is owned by Beulah Park andRiver Downs, both Ohio tracks. The chairmanof the Ohio HBPA’s purses and wagering committee,Bob Reeves, has issued statements thatOhio harness track operators have called “absolutelyfalse.” Charles Ruma, the president ofHeartland Jockey Club, which owns Beulah Parkin Columbus, wrote to Dan Theno, the executivedirector of the Ohio HBPA recently, and calledits termination of simulcast signals “a sad dayfor Ohio racing, especially in Cleveland.” He toocalled Reeves’ statements erroneous, and said“the Cleveland racetracks, and mostly Thistledown,receives the major share” of the purse poolas determined under Ohio racing laws. Ruma toldTheno, “There are four harness tracks in thisstate, all of which send their signals to thoroughbredtracks that are open at the same time. Thepurses generated from wagering on harness racingontrack goes directly into purses generatedfor the horsemen at that track. I suspect thatThistledown is taking wagers on Scioto Downs,and Toledo Raceway, as well as Lebanon,throughout the whole year. I also suspect theyeven take some of Northfield’s races.” Rumatold Theno he was “dealing with a double-edgedsword,” and said he thought it inappropriate thatTheno and Reeves were “absolutely delighted”over cutting off Thistledown’s signals toNorthfield. Ruma said they had “dug the graveanother foot deeper as it pertains to Ohio racing...the industry’s inability to deliver fans a consistent,quality product is simply turning themaway from Ohio racing, and maybe from racingin general.”