HARNESS TRACKS OF AMERICA Executive Newsletter

HARNESS TRACKS OF AMERICAExecutive NewsletterA daily fax and e-mail report on racing and gaming developments in North America and beyondStanley F. Bergstein, EditorMonday, June 14, 2010GURAL TO BE NY KEYNOTERMajor harness horse owner and breederand dual track operator Jeff Gural willdeliver the keynote speech at the June 21-22 New York Gaming Summit next weekat Tarrytown, the gateway to upper NewYork state. In printing an advance onGural’s speech, The Saratogian in SaratogaSprings, mentioned that Gural, aprominent New York City real estateowner and manager, is a partner with SLGreen Realty Trust, another real estategiant in New York, and with Hard RockEntertainment, in pursuing the racino tobe built at Aqueduct Race Track. Guralwill hit on several familiar themes in hispresentation, one being that the racingseason is too long and that “all slots havedone at racetracks is increased purses.”He will repeat his belief that stakes shouldbe limited to horses whose sires are fiveyears old or older, which he feels willkeep stallion prospects, stars of the sport,on the race track beyond their 3-year-oldform in order to make their get eligible.Gural also will support the MonmouthPark experiment of shorter seasons withhigher purses. “Every other sport has anopening day and an end,” another favoriteGural theme, will be included in thekeynote address. He says people want tosee stars, citing Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra,and noting that everyone wantsto see a Lebron James in basketball or thehot new sensation Steven Strasburgin major league baseball.Gural will tell the racing crowd that thedownsizing of New York City OTB is theproper course of action, and that he supportsa bill introduced recently that wouldlegalize full casino gambling at four upstateNew York tracks, including VernonDowns and Tioga Downs, which he operatesand which currently have slots butnot table games. He said, “Now is thetime to do it. New York needs money.YONKERS-BIG M POOL FLYINGThe Metro 6 Shooter, the recently introducedexotic multiple pool combining tworaces from Yonkers and six from the Meadowlands,is producing what some criticsof harness racing have long advocated:big payoffs. A combined bet including the4th, 5th, 6th and 7th race from the Big Mwith the third and seventh from Yonkersacross the Hudson, Saturday night’s BigShooter entire pool of $50,847 was takendown by one astute bettor, who parlayedwinners paying $14.40, $9.00, $18.40 and$24.40 at the Meadowlands with two paying$20.20 and $4.00 at Yonkers. In additionto the one winner who had all sixright, the 6 Shooter also returned $706.20for 24 bets picking five of six. The pool isseeded with $30,000.MERRIMAN HURT BADLYAaron Merriman, the leading harnessdriver in North America with 355 victories,suffered a broken elbow and two brokenwrists in an accident at The MeadowsFriday night when his horse fell.