A story in Wednesday’s Asbury Park Press has confirmed Meadowlands’ vice president of racing operations Chris McErlean will be leaving that track in the next few weeks after being one of several persons taking a buyout offered by the New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority.
Dennis Dowd, senior executive vice president of racing for the Sports Authority told the newspaper that Breeders Cup officials, in New Jersey for a preliminary meeting for next year’s championship events scheduled for Monmouth Park, had expressed concern regarding McErlean’s impending departure and the impact it would have on the races being held for the first time at that track.
“They were a little concerned at Chris’ departure,” said Dowd. “Avioli (Breeders Cup president Greg Avioli) said that when the process got started, we had different personnel in place. And I said, ‘Yeah, and when the process got started, you guys had different personnel, too.”
It is expected that McErlean, who has been at the Meadowlands for 14 years, will soon take an executive position with Penn Gaming.