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, EditorTuesday, July 27, 2010COUNTERATTACK IN NJ MESSIn the absence of larger formalized reactionto the recommendations of Gov.Chris Christie of New Jersey to sell orclose the Meadowlands racetrack, grassrootssupport is surfacing. The state’sStandardbred Breeders and Owners Association,headed by Tom Luchento, hasscheduled an open meeting for Thursdayevening in the Big M’s back paddock, atwhich racing executives and others willdiscuss a course of action. The SBOA isat the heart of the issue, being offered a$1 a year, 3-year lease on the property,with the proviso that there will be no slotsor alternative gambling approved there.The state, meanwhile, will spend millionsproviding police and administrative assistancefor the privately owned casinos ofAtlantic City.In localized action, Mayor Nancy Grbeljaof Millstone Township sent a “DearFriend” letter to concerned residents ofthe Freehold area, with copies to state legislators,reminding all about the contributionsof racing and other equine activitiesto the welfare of the state economy. Sheurged recipients to call and e-mail thegovernor and key legislators and expresstheir displeasure and views. The importanceof such a campaign was stressed inits final lines where Ms. Grbelja wrote,“PLEASE call and e-mail for the nextthree days. Only YOU can save thehorse industry.”BROOKS TRIAL NEARING ENDAfter 7 months of testimony from 70 witnesses,the federal trial of David H. Brooks,the founder and former CEO of one of thenation’s largest suppliers of body armorfor the military, is nearing its conclusion.The government’s chief prosecutor presentedhis closing arguments to the jury,and the trial once again commanded frontpage attention in New York newspapersand in others across the country. The NewYork Times recounted the sordid details ofBrooks using millions from the proceedsof his body armor business for personaluse, including “pornographic videos forhis son, plastic surgery for his wife, aburial plot for his mother, prostitutes forhis employees, a million dollar bat mitzvahfor his daughter, and $100,000 jeweledbelt buckle for himself,” along witha Bentley automobile. In one of the mostbizarre developments in this wildly bizarrecase was the argument of defenseattorneys that the hiring of the prostitutesfor employees and board members of hisDHB enterprises represented a legitimatebusiness expense “if Mr. Brooks thoughtsuch services could motivate his employeesand make them more productive.”Brooks, whose Bulletproof Stable led harnessracing last year with more than $12million in winnings, faces as much as 30years in prison if convicted, as well as additionaltrials on charges of contempt ofcourt and tax evasion on hundreds ofmillions in his body armor business.