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 27, 2010GENTING: WE WERE UNAWAREThe New York Post, in an exclusive storyby Brendon Scott in Albany and CarlCampanile in New York, said today thatthe Malaysian-based Genting company,winner of the 30-year contract to buildand run the Aqueduct racino, had signeda $300,000 a year contract with a majorlobbyist who represented the dishonoredAEG Entertainment Group. The Postmade clear it considers this just more ofthe same, leading the story with the line,“It’s the same smelly Albany horse manure.”The paper says Genting has hiredJohn Cordo, which it describes as “a onetimestaffer to Senate Republicans andone of six lobbyists who represented AqueductEntertainment Group,” and hisbusiness partner Jennifer Cunningham,“who has longstanding ties to AndrewCuomo,” the heir presumptive to the governorshipof New York, as Genting’s newlobbyists. Cunningham also has representedthe powerful New York hospitalworkers’ union. As for Genting, whichwill hold a ceremonial groundbreakingceremony tomorrow at Aqueduct with allthe bigwigs in attendance, it says it spentits $380 million upfront money and allthat follows without knowing that JohnCordo was connected to AEG. New Yorkinspector general Joseph Fisch knew it,saying Cordo was one of lobbyists who“swarmed like a plague of locusts” forAEG in Albany and had urged afellow lobbyist to advise DemocraticSenate leader John Sampson, nowunder pressure, to “shut down” Republicancalls for committee hearings by callingthe Republican requests “hystericalpolitics.” Whatever they were, it appearswe will have more for the next 30 yearsfrom the unsuspecting Genting, whosedue diligence or straightforwardness appearsto be questioned by the Post report.One unidentified Albany lobbyist told thenewspaper, “Cordo was a chief strategistfor AEG. He was in the middle of a sleazyprocess.”A FREE $25,000 WIN BETThe Breeders’ Cup and Louisville’s ABCaffiliate WHAS-11, which will televisethe Cups, have announced a promotionin which fans at Churchill Downs aweek from Friday can enter a promotionin which the winner will receive a free$25,000 win bet on the $5 million CupClassic the next day, in which undefeatedZenyatta will run. Good promotion.SHADES OF WALTER COXAn 80-year-old tradition is being revivedin Goshen, NY. Historic track is bringingback the Halloween parties for kids thatwere sponsored in the 1930s by the immortaltrainer Walter Cox and his wife.Cox remains the only trainer ever to sendout the first four finishers in the Hambletonian,which he did in the 1929 editionwith Walter Dear, Volomite, Sir GuyMac and Miss Woerner.