VD wants to open Aug. 26

The Oneida Dispatch is reporting that officials at Vernon Downs hope an agreement that is currently being negotiated will allow them to open the harness racing track by the end of the month. Doug Tudman, regional marketing director for Vernon Downs, said the track's ownership group has set Aug. 26 as a target start date for racing.

"Everybody is geared for Aug. 26 and we're ready to go," Tudman said.

The new target date does not mean the track's new ownership group, American Racing and Entertainment, has settled the feud between the two horsemen's groups competing to be the official representative of the track's horsemen.

In June, the New York State Racing and Wagering Board chose the Harness Horse Association of Central New York as the official horsemen's group at the track. The board ruled that the Vernon Downs Harness Horsemen Association, which challenged the incumbent HHACNY this year, failed to prove it represents 51 percent of the horsemen that raced at the track in the last few years.

Upset with the ruling, the VDHHA filed several Article 78 petitions in New York State Supreme Court in Oneida County earlier this year in an attempt to overturn the ruling. An Aug. 21 court date has been set for the petitions to be argued.

However, Ken Jacobs of the VDHHA said the New York State Attorney General's Office has asked for a six-week extension to work on the Article 78 petitions, and Jacobs has asked for something in return.
"If they allow the racing to go on then I'll give them the six week extension," Jacobs said in the Oneida Dispatch story.

The Racing and Wagering Board issued American Racing a temporary conditional license to operate the track earlier this year, but said that in order for racing to begin there the owners would have to negotiate a signed contract with the track's official horsemen's group, the HHACNY.

Jacobs said his deal could bypass that rule though, if the attorney general is willing to allow racing in exchange for an extension on the court date. Jacobs said the deal is still being worked out.
"I want to make sure racing isn't held up," Jacobs said.

Marc Violette, a spokesperson for the New York State Attorney General's Office, could not immediately confirm Monday that such negotiations were being worked out.

Tudman said the ownership group is still working on renovating the track and hiring people to staff it for the start of racing.

"We are in the process of meeting the hiring goals. We are hiring right now, we are making sure everyone knows that," he said. "We are running newspaper ads welcoming people to apply for positions."

Tudman said he is unsure of how close officials are to meeting their goal of hiring about 400 people to fill a variety of positions at the track, but he estimated that dozens of people have been hired already.

Although construction will not be completed at the track by the end of August, Tudman said plenty of areas will be opened up for people to watch racing. He said parts of the grandstand will be open, and simulcast betting machinery will be operational.

"We intend to have food offerings in the grandstand area also," he said. "As we speak the kitchen is getting up and running."

If racing begins on Aug. 26 it will run through Oct. 28, Tudman said. He said racing would be held at the track on 25 dates, mostly Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

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