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, EditorFriday, August 27, 2010JUDGE RULES FOR ROSECROFTGood news for Roscroft Raceway in U.S.District Court in Baltimore. Judge RichardD. Bennett ruled for the track, andagainst the Maryland ThoroughbredHorsemen’s Association and MarylandJockey Club, in the latter’s attempt tohave a Rosecroft antitrust suit dismissed.Kelley Rogers, president of Rosecroft’shorsemen owners, Cloverleaf Enterprises,expressed delight at the developmentand said he was looking forward to thediscovery phase of the case. “The factsare clear and the evidence will be overwhelmingas to their actions,” he said, referringto the Maryland thoroughbredsgetting other tracks to deny simulcastingsignals to Rosecroft, which killed activityat the track, which already had lost liveracing, completely.HERE COMES BETFAIRWhat started out as an innocuous bill toacquire the Breeders’ Cup for Californiabut snowballed into a raise in takeout andwinds up as a doormat for Betfair to winits fight to introduce exchange betting inthe U.S. seemingly is nearing approval inCalifornia. The California Horse RacingBoard, which seemingly specializes inquick draconian decisions, is just now recoveringfrom its hasty mandate of a fewyears ago to build synthetic tracks. Now,without public comment or legislativeresearch, it may approve exchangebetting before it adjourns Tuesday.ELSEWHERE....Jeff Gural, who runs Tioga Downs andVernon Downs, told PressConnects.comthat the 1% increase in VLT revenue tothe state of New York will cost his tracksabout a million dollars a year. The taxwas raised flavored with a sweetener-- longer operating hours -- but Guralsays his average customers are all inbed by 2:00 a.m. Still, he is taking thepeace offer, operating the racinos until2:00 a.m. weekdays and 3:00 a.m.weekends, and offering an early morningbreakfast menu at Tioga’s CoastersSports Bar....Two Kentucky HorseRacing Commission committees haveapproved out-of-competition drug testing,despite opposition from horsemen. Thecommittees agreed on a first-offencefine of $50,000 and a state ban up to 10years for refusal to have a horse testedby either owners or trainers, specified as“the party responsible for the refusal.”Horses testing positive would be barredfor six months from racing in Kentucky....HTA member Prairie Meadows has votedto build a hotel at its Altoona, Iowa trackand racino location. The $29 millionproject is expected to take 14 months tobuild, and is subject to November voterapproval of continued gambling foranother eight years. Voters approved thoseterms in 1994 and 2002....226 speakersare scheduled to debate Tuesday andWednesday on a proposal for a casinonear the Gettysburg battlefield.