HARNESS TRACKS OF AMERICA Executive Newsletter

HARNESS TRACKS OF AMERICA“The Svengali-like hold that Jon F. Hanson, thestate’s gaming czar, seems to have over Gov.Chris Christie has to be broken. Last weekHanson, a man with no particular experience ingaming, came up with more disastrous ideas todestroy horse racing once and for all.“His latest proposal calls for harness racingat the Meadowlands in East Rutherford to bemoved to Monmouth Park and for a sharp decreasein the number of racing days --from 141to 36 for harness racing and from 141 to 59 forthoroughbred racing.“The governor should reject these latest proposals.If he inexplicably supports them, as he hasHanson’s plans to ‘save’ the casinos by takingcontrol of Atlantic City and refusing to considerthe addition of other gaming opportunities at thetracks, they should die in the legislature.“A shortened racing season only makes sense ifthere are substantial purses to offset fewer racedays. The casinos were subsidizing larger pursesfor the last three years. But they are strugglingnow, and no one expects them to continue to underwritethe purses.“Harness racing, if moved to Monmouth Park in2011, would take place at night. The cost of installinglights at the Oceanport track andother upgrades is estimated at $4.6 million.Executive NewsletterA daily fax and e-mail report on racing and gaming developments in North America and beyondStanley F. Bergstein, EditorTuesday, November 23, 2010MAJOR PAPER HITS CHRISTIE “That also would pay for track surface changes,The Asbury Park Press, one of New Jersey’smost important newspapers, hasa new receiving barn and winterizing a portionof the grandstand. Good luck getting all thatdone by next year. In addition, Hanson has ignoredthe impact night racing would have onlashed out at governor Chris Christie,leading an editorial this morning, blasting area neighborhoods and traffic. And there ishim for his determined efforts to kill harnessracing at the Meadowlands. Here is racing fans would be willing to make the trip tono evidence to suggest Meadowlands’ harnessthe full text, which also will appear in this Monmouth Park to follow the trotters.week’s Track Topics.“Hanson’s recommendations are certain tobring expensive court challenges. The length ofthe racing season is mandated by state law andcurrent contract. How does a protracted legalbattle save the state money and lay the groundworkfor eventual privatization?“If you kill racing in the state before it can beprivatized properly, no private investors will bewilling to step in and take over. It’s one thing forthem to take over an ailing company and turn itaround. It is another to ask them to resurrect adead horseracing industry. If the state allows theindustry to collapse, it will have done far moreharm than merely throwing track employees outof work. Incentives to breed racehorses are tiedto racing purses. The less racing, the less opportunityto run a Jersey-bred horse. New Jerseybreeders will simply pull up stakes.“Hanson’s proposals to kill off racing seem counterproductiveat best and incomprehensible atworst. The governor should dismiss these latestwrongheaded ideas. And if he won’t, the legislaturemust.”Not mentioned in the editorial is the hugedrop in purchase prices reflected at therecent Harrisburg yearling auction -- thebiggest in the country -- for two of the beststallions in the world, pacer RocknrollHanover and trotter Muscles Yankee.The Hanson blow already is felt.