Racing convention underway

The first joint session of the annual Harness Tracks of America (HTA) and Thoroughbred Racing Associations of America (TRA) took place on Sunday morning in Hollywood, Fla., and three topics were addressed: slots, lobbying legislators, and integrity.

The meeting held at the Westin Diplomat, just around the corner from Gulfstream Park, attracted a large gathering despite the early 8 a.m. post time, made even earlier because of Daylight Saving Time.

Five men who work in the world of testing and regulation spoke about strategies for curtailing cheating in racing. All agreed that tougher penalties, both in the form of higher fines and longer suspensions, were an important step, but said more needs to be done.

Richard Shapiro, chairman of the California Horse Racing Board and the son of L.K. Shapiro, who ran the Western Harness meet at Hollywood Park, called on racing’s “stakeholders” to get more involved in protecting the integrity of racing.

“We’re outmatched,” he said of those who try to stay a step ahead of testing and regulation. “Who’s going to take the step to change (things)? The regulator’s can’t do this job alone.”

Scot Waterman, D.V.M., of the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium spoke about the rash of aminorex positives, but offered no new news on the subject of where the drug is coming from.

“The fact that the positives continue to roll in…is very, very unique,” he noted. “We’re looking for common threads with all of the samples. My personal theory is that there are two separate things going on. I think initially there were people using this drug to cheat; now something else is happening.”

Nick Eaves of Woodbine Entertainment began the panel entitled “Slots: The New Simulcasting,” and said he believes there still needs to be a “broader transformation of the racing business,” beyond slots. He cited remarks by Terry Lanni, CEO of MGM Mirage, at last year’s Racing Congress in Last Vegas. Lanni noted that the revenue stream in Vegas had shifted from 85 percent from gaming and 15 percent from entertainment to a 60/40 mix, with entertainment now carrying the freight.

“We need to take a cue from this,” Eaves said, noting that Woodbine is moving in that direction with its development plans for hotels and other entertainment facilities at both Woodbine and Mohawk.

Chris McErlean, the longtime executive vice president of the Meadowlands and now with Penn Gaming, called the pursuit of expanded gaming by racetracks an “arms race.”

Bobby Soper, CEO of Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, gave his racing audience a dose of reality when he told them that “Horse racing ultimately is going to have to stand on its own two feet. Horse racing has to reposition itself. It has to be seen as a fun an entertaining product.”

Soper said plans are underway at Pocono Downs to add areas geared to a younger audience, such as a “party patio” on the apron. “You create the environment; then you market it. You have to create awareness to drive people there…but eventually people must want to play the product,” he said.

The subject of lobbying was addressed by Jeff Gural, the owner of Tioga Downs and Vernon Downs, who spearheaded legislation in New York that negated any concerns that the state’s video lottery terminals were unconstitutional. Gural had four main pieces of advice: don’t leave the lobbying exclusively to paid lobbyists; make sure all horse interests are united; don’t be greedy; and have racing people write racing legislation.

Florida Senator Steve Geller, who represents Broward County in the state legislature, advised his racing audience to lobby and connect with their legislators year-round, not just when the legislature is in session. “If you limit your lobbying to when the legislature is in session, you’ve done 25 percent of your job,” he said.

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