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, EditorWednesday, October 6, 2010VALLEY VIEW AUCTION OCT. 20Centaur Gaming has announced it has“multiple written bids” for its Valley Viewproperty and racing license in Pennsylvania,meeting a harness racing commissiondeadline and setting the stage for anauction October 20. The commission hadmandated on Sept. 3 that a written bidhad to be submitted by 5 p.m. today orthe license would have been terminated,revoked and surrendered to the commission.Centaur did not identify the bidders,saying that “to help ensure that the competitivelandscape of the auction processremains intact, we will refrain from providingadditional specifics at this time.”BILLION DOLLAR NO BRAINERThat’s the assessment of former governorand current state senator Richard J. Codeyof New Jersey, who says that’s what racinosat the Meadowlands represent in anarticle published in today’s Asbury ParkPress. Codey says 26 gaming facilities --horse tracks, racinos and casinos -- aregenerating more than $5 billion a year inthree neighboring states, and “It’s a matterof fairness that we allow New Jerseytracks to compete on a level playing fieldwith out-of-state facilities.” He proposesthat Atlantic City casino interests couldget involved in operating racinos in NewJersey, and says simply giving up on theMeadowlands “is tantamount to throwingaway hundreds of millions -- if not abillion -- dollars a year, a mistakeNew Jersey cannot afford.”15 MINUTES WITH THE DEVILAt last week’s “Racing Summit” at MonmouthPark, Jon Hanson, head of governorChris Christie’s kitchen cabinet onracing and gaming, was asked about theirproposed “city within a city” proposal totake over administrative details of governmentin Atlantic City. He told thecrowd nothing was in place as yet, that“the devil is in the details.” Yesterdaythe devil was dispatched in a 15-minutephone call between Christie and AtlanticCity mayor Lorenzo Langford, with thedevil stealing off with the details and thepublic once again excluded, as it was inpreparation of the now infamous Hansonreport. Langford said a one-page agreementwas signed for the state to provideoversight of the Atlantic City budget andfinances for at least a year. New Jerseywill have a direct hand in developing abudget and tax rate for the city of 40,000,but Langford made clear the proceedingswould be confidential. “It’s advisoryrather than compulsory. We can’t havetoo many eyes looking at the city finances,”he was quoted as saying in a story byDunstan McNichol in Bloomberg.com.NEW FLORIDA TRAINING BASEA new harness racing training center inVero Beach, Florida, will open later thismonth, owned and operated by Swedishtrotting breeder Karl-Erik Bender. With20 paddocks, two training tracks and a900-meter straightaway, the centerwill accommodate 92 horses.