OPINIONS

Attention Donald Groth and Catskill OTB, look inside and you will find the problem.

This past week, Catskill OTB President Donald Groth sent to the New York State Racing and Wagering Board a request to deny a license to race at Tioga Downs. Tioga was a rundown racetrack in the remote southern tier of New York State. A group of horsemen, with the help of a casino management company, are transforming this remote pile of condemnation into a facility for a community to enjoy.

This track will have the support of VLT revenue and strong leadership to help it grow. Jeffery Gural is a major shareholder and is a proven business leader. The Director of Racing will be Greg De Frank. His years of experience include stints at Pompano Park, Northfield Park, Hazel Park, Vernon Downs and the Meadowlands. Jason Settlemoir is the Vice President Marketing and Simulcasting. This young man brings a resume to Tioga that would rival those that have been in the harness racing business since Jason was born. Leadership, experience, and youthful drive are the cornerstones of this project. All indications point towards Tioga Downs being successful. Just ask Donald Groth.

You see, Groth is concerned with only one thing Catskill OTB. Success in harness racing in New York is a direct threat to his world. In his communication to the board he wrote that issuing a license to Tioga would:

1. Reduce the OTB revenues that Broome County and neighboring counties have come to rely on.

How could Tioga do this? By being a success.

2. Take racing and gaming business away from Catskill OTB branch betting centers and venues such as Finger Lakes Racetrack and Mighty M Gaming at Monticello Raceway.

On a Saturday night recently I paid a visit to the Mighty M simulcast facility. I counted 15 people on the dilapidated 3rd floor of that building. I even found where I carved my initials into the table the time I hit big with Napoletano over Mack Lobel in the 1987 Kentucky Futurity. The four Catskill OTB that I have visited are dumps. All of the parking lots have deep pot holes. The floor is dirty, the place smells like mildew and SOME have vending for food and drink. Want to get rid of a blind date quickly? Consider a Catskill OTB.

Never been to Finger lakes.

3. Add another money-losing racetrack to a state already oversaturated with racetracks.

By oversaturated he means that he doesn't want to carry Tioga simulcast. All OTBs in New York must carry all New York State racing. Groth would rather have more out of state thoroughbred to sell. This is his only hope to get bettors into his parlors. The closings at Yonkers, Vernon, and Batavia have been a blessing to him. Soon they will all be back along with Tioga...with VLTs.

From the April 19, 2006 Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin his hissy fit continues.

"No businessman should be going into the harness racing business just as an admission ticket to get into the VLT business,"

What he means is that HE wants to control the VLTs. Read this from the North American Pari-Mutuel Regulators Association in 2003 about New York and VLTs in OTBs:

Donald Groth, president of Catskill Regional Off-Track Betting Corp., said the state has already "crossed the line" with VLTs when, in 2001, it legalized them for racetracks. Now, as in numerous times in the past 50 years, state officials are again considering ways to expand gambling to deal with deficits. He said the governor's budget office in recent weeks has reached out to some industry officials about the idea of VLTs at parlors. Groth said the VLT plan, if enacted, would work best along border areas because it could draw in money from out-of- state residents instead of "extracting money from our own people." He said he "would certainly be enthusiastic" with the prospect of opening three such border sites with VLTs in locations in his OTB district near the Connecticut, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania boarders.

Since that idea of slots at OTB went sour, Groth amended his boarder idea. From the Jan. 2006 JOURNAL NEWS we get this:

"The hope and expectation is that the state will see fit to provide the same VLTs for off-track betting use as well so we can compete fairly."

He wants as many VLTs as the tracks get for his parlors.

We all know the facts. OTB is the single biggest contribution to the decline of horse racing in this country. It sucked the atmosphere and spectacle out of the races. True, the tracks encouraged the creation of OTB but we are not trying to change history here. What I am saying is that bringing the racing experience to more people is the key to its success. OTBs can't do this, racetracks can. Groth better come to grips with the fact that people would rather go to a clean new racino than one of his strip mall, pari-mutuel shit houses. Donald Groth should start working on his own business strategy instead of critiquing others. He can start by writing up a purchase order for some vacuum cleaners and Lysol.

Hey Donald, if all of these racinos start pumping bigger money into the state they might issue more licenses to open tracks. I suggest you get started on that purchase order.

Sports Illustrated mentions harness racing! Thank you, your Lordship.

If you look on page 38 of the May 31 issue of SI, you will see what the magnanimous editors have bestowed upon the harness racing community. A pin on a map. Oh how they must have toiled and agonized over this. Was there enough ink in the presses to substantiate such a gracious gesture? Were they sure that such mention would not turn off advertisers? Whose head was going to roll because of the potential fallout?

It would not be the first time mentioned by me that harness racing suffers from an inferiority complex. It was mentioned at a past USTA board meeting. It seems the safest and most convenient way to explain the problem. Harness racing is not part of the mainstream because it doesn't belong there. Stay in the background and accept being insignificant. How long will this sport continue to think like this? As long as it allows itself to continue.

Everyone that I have ever talked to in harness racing is truly passionate about their love for this sport. They all speak from their hearts about the wonderful people involved in it. During every conversation I have ever had at a track with these people, they turn their heads towards the fans. I see them justify why they are involved. Not all of them tell me but they all have that same look of satisfaction. They are all thinking that these fans are what it is all about.

How is it that these same racing people crave for the attention of those that look down upon them? Think of it as back in high school wanting to sit with the popular girls at their lunch table. How silly was it vying for their acceptance? If the media elite don't care about harness racing then stop kissing their asses. They all come out to the Hambletonian press conference, stuff themselves with the big shrimp and say " I'll try to get a story by my editors but I can't make any promises. Make sure our seats are reserved for lunch AND dinner. So long, sucker.". They put Goshen on their NY sports map. Big deal. If Tiger Woods took a dump there they would have mentioned that instead of the Hall of Fame.

Before letting this subject die, one more mention of media arrogance needs to be mentioned. In a recent Harness Tracks of America/Thoroughbred Racing Associations joint conference, the following was reported by Harness Racing Communications...

In the final panel of the day, the issue of media coverage for racing was discussed. Among the speakers were Billy Reed, multiple Eclipse-award winner, features writer for Sports Illustrated and former sports editor of the Louisville Courier Journal, who stressed that publicists "should be willing to hear the word ‘no’ a lot," saying he'd prefer to hear more often from track publicists, even if the story is not a viable one.

Thanks for your Eclipse-award winning insight of what you think of harness racing. How was the shrimp? Here are some words that you should be willing to hear a lot. Take your insight and your stupid, ugly $4 football clock, wrap it in page 38 of your testosterone version of People Magazine and shove them all up your ass.

Harness racing began long before Sports Illustrated and it is up to harness racing to live beyond Sports Illustrated. It is not the outsiders that control this sport's destiny, it is those on the inside that do. There are enough resources within this sport to do it right. Find them and put them together. Build a better lunch table than the popular girls have and enjoy the shrimp.

"Is anybody as amazed as I am?" Ohio State Racing Commissioner Norm Barron upon his discovery that most betting at Ohio tracks was on simulcasting.

These were the words uttered to Bob Roberts of Cleveland's Plain Dealer. It seems that this Cleveland newspaper reporter has uncovered a massive scandal. Someone or some organization is deliberately withholding vital information from the Ohio State Racing Commission.

How can the Ohio racing board not have access to track and wagering information for all of this time? And not just Ohio but reports from throughout the country. Mr. Barron and the entire Ohio racing industry will be shocked to find out what is really going on in the business.

Let's give you a little background on Commissioner Norm Barron.

Norman I. Barron of Cincinnati was originally appointed to the commission in 1983 and served as its chairman from 1988 to 1995. He was appointed again in 1999 and reappointed in 2003. In addition to many other activities, related to horses or otherwise, Barron has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Racing Commissioners International (ARCI) and as its legal counsel. The ARCI is a collective of horse racing regulatory agencies.

For the past 20 years this commissioner must have been denied access to race tracks. Had he been to one, he would have seen all of those TV sets showing other tracks. He would have heard people at the windows betting on these tracks. If he had access to reports, he would have seen wagering revenue from tracks during days and times when there was no racing. It is no wonder that the commissioner ran to the press to reveal this shocking news. He had been duped. Since Norm Barron first took office, on-site wagering at US horse tracks has steadily fallen off 80%. Had he known this, his agency would have acted quickly and put a halt to this trend.

The board should not worry about saving face. After all, there was that ugly incident in November when they stood up to those horsemen at Beulah Park. If you will recall, $5000 was being requested for some pizza parties. $5000 to feed pizza to several hundred backstretch people for a few Friday nights? This commission knew that plates, napkins and soda would also wind up on that bill. They put a stop to that quickly. God bless the Ohio State Racing Commission. You do good work.

If there was ever something to be amazed at, here it is. These exact words are from an excerpt from the Feb. 19, 2004 meeting of the Ohio Racing Commission minutes:

Discussion regarding export schedule. Commissioner Barron stated he has analyzed the monthly report as to where the export dollars are coming from on the signals. There is a continuing decline in the portable wagering which is alarming because we have reached the end of 2003. Commissioner Barron feels we are not getting less betting, or fewer people at the tracks or even money going to different places, we are losing the dollars in the way they are being reported and the way they are being bet. He continues by saying, there are about a half dozen wager platforms, one being Racing and Gaming Services, who have access to the pools via software they have developed themselves. It is called batch betting. Dialog needs to be started with the permit holders and an attempt to figure this dilemma out. Several permit holders responded with their knowledge and input. Commissioner Barron ended this discussion by stating this topic will be further discussed.

It is clear that these meetings are full of confusion and the members are sheltered from the truth. What is more disturbing, Commissioner Barron's analysis or the fact that there were others in the meeting that understand it?

I hope the masterminds of this coverup are revealed. Those who deliberately withhold facts and reality from the board need to be punished. And for goodness sakes, please don't let them have any pizza.

NY Racing & Wagering "Come on back, Herve."

Not so fast fellows.

The New York State Racing & Wagering Board has recently stated that it will now allow North America's winningest driver Herve Filion to apply for a license to race in New York State in 2004. Nice of you to offer your olive branch clinched in your claw.

After the embarrassment of not hooking their "Big Fish" seven years ago. State prosecutors, along with the racing board, needed to save face. Even after clearing all charges on race fixing and paying a few dollars in taxes for the sale of a horse, Filion was still not allowed to race. The only way to keep Herve Filion out of racing was to tell him that his license had expired. Reciprocating protocol among other stated should take care of the rest.

Not so fast fellows. New Jersey won't grant a license to anyone refused in New York but these aren't the only apples on the tree. Pennsylvania and Delaware have independent thinkers running their show. The entire Filion debacle was reviewed and both issued him a license. Herve Filion has also traveled to Ohio and Canada to race in paramutual races for promotions (another concept foreign to New York).

There are no other options left for the NY racing czars. Let's let him apply... next year. Maybe let Filion twist in the wind while taking their time in reviewing the application. Create committees to review of the recommendations of other committees through their subsequent subcommittees..... Or why not have Filion suffer through reliving the whole court case as his application review? In all, there will not be any rubber stamping for this one.

Not so fast fellows. What makes anyone think that Filion will be falling over his feet racing to Albany with application in hand. There is enough pride left in this man to keep him off his knees begging for your coveted racing license. The people he has raced for during the past year and change have treated him well. They respect his accomplishments. Fans cheer for him. When the celebration of his 15,000th win is going on in Harrington this week, he will be thanking those that have been loyal to him.

He will also be thinking about why this isn't happening in New York.

...and now for something completely different. Nice things to say about the USTA

Every year at this time I look forward to getting my copy of the USTA Trotting & Pacing Guide. There is good reason for this. I use this book nearly every day. It is packed with more useful and informative harness racing stuff than anyone can hope to compile on their own. USTA Director of Public Relations John Pawlak and his team have compiled over 400 pages of records, stats, and other reference goodies into this of easy to navigate, 57th edition.

The USTA is clearly one of my favorite targets for criticism and probably will continue to be for some time to come. But now it is time to give them their much deserved credit for this book. If there is one thing that I must compliment them on is their record keeping. It seems that every piece of paper that had anything written about a standardbred horse is kept in their musty Columbus, Ohio basement. Can you name the two N. American racetracks that Herve Filion holds track records? Historic Track in Goshen and Roosevelt Raceway. Did you know that Sam Volo's trotting time of 2:07 at the Rochester Minnesota Training center hasn't been broken since 1937?

The records of major stakes races consume 73 pages. Every driver with 1,000 wins is listed (822 of them). Every Horse of the month since 1981 is listed. Speed records are separated by gait, sex, age, track size. Dash records are also included. The 22 page Breeding and Sales chapter will be very useful to handicappers and potential owners.

The Guide also serves as a handy directory of organizations. Names, addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses are listed. The directory is so complete that people as insignificant as me are listed (page 398 top left).

Spend the $20 on this book (USTA & SB Canada members $14) and you will find yourself referring to it every time your buddy thinks he knows everything about the trotters. Here is your link to buy on line from USTA. Buy the 2003 Trotting & Pacing Guide.

Larry Roman moves and shakes

There isn't an area in any racing facility, live or off track, that you're not within ear shot of a story of a memorable racing event. Not just the old timers, 40s, 30s, even in their 20s. Fans enjoy reliving their big scores. The near misses. The ones that were taken down. And the big names. Always the big names. Big name horses and big name drivers.

The problem with these big name horses is that there are too few memories. Nevele Pride only raced 67 times in his 3 seasons. Nihilator, Presidential Ball, Beach Towel, Western Hanover, Cam's Card Shark, Precious Bunny, Jate Lobel, Die Laughing, and Niatross are just a few of the many great pacers that only ran for 2 seasons.

More experiences can be shared about Carmine, Buddy, Billy H, and Stanley D. They wore colors. They had personalities. They say hello. While most modern handicapping places less emphasis on the drivers, we still remember their tendencies and consider them a threat in the race. Even Herve Filion said, "I've never carried a horse across the finish line. They've all carried me." True as it may be but such quips have never been heard from a horse.

These memories are shared by Larry Roman. There are many words written on this site about his love of this sport and dedication to making it better. He wants to share his memories of this sport with other fans. He knows that these memories keep many coming to the track.

While at the opening night of Batavia Downs this past summer, Hall of Famer Clint Galbraith pointed across our table to Buddy Gilmour and said, "That man is the best driver to ever cover a half-mile track. When he was out there with me, I spent more time looking over my shoulder for him than anyone. I knew he'd be there at the end but I never knew where he would come from."

Those days of the Monticello OTB Classic and Roosevelt Raceway will never return but Roman will certainly do his best to remind us of them. He and Monticello's John Manzi (the epitome the harness racing PR man) would deliver the finest showcase of excitement that this kind of promotion could provide. Roman's decision to showcase this event in the Catskills serves well. Manzi is still in touch with many of the old-timers. They might not do this for any other promoter.

As stated in the press release on the News page, this is a tentative event with no date or lineup set yet. When and if this takes place, make it a point to be a part of it. There will be a lot of very special people getting together trying to make you feel good. A refreshing thought, isn't it?

Non smokers, you are not to blame

I smoke. I know that I am in the minority and the health risks are many. The vast majority of you don't care if I smoke or not. I don't light up at inappropriate times in inappropriate places. This is me and the vast majority of smokers. When my smoke does bother you, I put it out and apologize. This is me and the vast majority of smokers. We have lived well together for a long time. No smoking in stores and government buildings are fine by me. No one needs to light up there. Stores shouldn't have to put ash trays out. They don't need the risk of having their stores littered with butts and ashes or having their goods burned by inconsiderate morons.

Smokers and non smokers can judge where it is appropriate to smoke. There has to be SOME places that are okay? Restaurants and bars? Put pressure on the owners if their facility does not fit your comfort level. They will change. A smart owner will do it's best to make customers happy. Some will be smoke free if they have enough clientele to support them. Word will get out about it and they will thrive. Others will go in the smoker friendly direction. We will all have our choices.

Casinos and race tracks? These have got to be smoker friendly establishments. These are places where you plan to be for several hours, pumping the money in and expecting a certain level of comfort and relaxation. There are no children there and every casino that I have ever been in has clearly marked and ventilated areas. If you think that your nonsmoking areas are too small then you should know this statistic. 70% of casino money comes from the smoking area.

What does this mean? Either the vast majority of nonsmokers come into the smoking areas or casinos are a place where smokers come to. If that is the way the business is most successful then let the business thrive.

Who is making these decisions about how smokers and nonsmokers should get along? The same pea brains that run your tenant associations and school boards. These ass holes that have nothing better to do with their time then to run other peoples lives. Political want-to-be "concerned citizens" that want to throw you out of your house if you don't take down your curtains and install vertical blinds. The ones that cut school activities and run their school board issued cell phone bills into the thousands.

How is it that this new Delaware law excludes fire houses and bingo halls? I won't go into their logic on this but let's say that political correctness and don't piss off The Church are the motivations. It has been written in the press that it will take at least until March or April to get a better understanding of the economic impact on Delaware. Don't be surprised to find out that this smoking law gets a review when the legislature gets back in session in January. All of that casino and alcohol money drying up will have these same concerned citizens scrambling. The only way to make up for this deficit would be to raise taxes. Try pitching that "for the good of all"

STILL THE MAN. HERVE STANDS ABOVE THE REST

The above photo is from the September 1990 Sports Illustrated.

Probably the last time harness racing got any decent national press.

It's been a long time since there has been anything to get excited about

concerning harness racing. The Triple Crown is a joke because trainers are afraid to go the half mile at Yonkers. Victories for the integrity of the sport come in the way of catching crooks (thanks to Canada, not the US). Let's not forget all of the wonderful figures released by the USTA about how business has grown (we are now at the same levels of 1951, pats on the back for all of those responsible)

The sport will have it's premier star back and the roar of the crickets is deafening. So many people trying to figure out what is wrong and none of them can see the answer under their noses. Glitz and glimmer. Star quality. Now is your chance fellows. Don't blow it. (Who am I kidding? They'll find a way.) Let's not take anything away from John Campbell. His records and achievements are remarkable and he is a wonderful man too. This sport can't figure out how to make the most out of him. Package him and sell him, folks. Present him to the world as harness racing's best product. Naw, that would take some brains and there isn't enough of them in the sport to spare on such a project.

It's been several years since Herve Filion got railroaded into a guilt by association. If there was any evidence to find him guilty of race fixing in New York, the cat must have eaten it. There was no one rallying by his side during this political charade or after the smoke cleared. Maybe he brought too many short prices home at their tracks. Maybe every owner, who fell over their feet to get him behind one of their horses, thought their nag has to win.

He has brought national attention back to the sport. Sports Illustrated hits the news stands this week with pictures of him donning his colors again. Single-handedly he is bringing harness racing to the masses. The sharks will come circling back to Herve he won't forget what they look like. Some have considered David Letterman's comment comparing harness racing to professional wrestling positive exposure. I think otherwise.

I'll be waiting for what he will say or do when he comes back. Let's see what horses he gets to drive and the reactions from the industry. How much bitterness does he have and how much of it does he want to show. I am looking for him to be honest and handle himself with class. Welcome back Herve.

A VOICE TO BE HEARD, LIKE IT OR NOT.

Larry Roman is at it again. He is the owner of this year's Breeders Crown hopeful Anklet Hanover. In a NY Post story from the draw for the event by Anthony Stabille, Mr. Roman was asked to comment upon the Italian trotting sensation Varenne. "We're gonna beat that Italian horse!", was Roman's response. No one knows if he spoke of his own 12-1 morning line entry or any of the other contenders, but at least Larry had the nerve to say something.

This is not the first time Mr. Roman has shocked a crowd. You may not have heard of the little tirade he went on at last October's Monticello-Goshen chapter of the Unites States Harness Writers annual dinner. Larry Roman was given the 2000 Good Guy award for his unselfish work devoted to the area's harness industry. When time came to give his acceptance speech, Larry was VERY ready to speak.

It was quite clear how much thanks he felt for receiving his award. The beginning of his speech focussed upon those in this sport that like to give awards to each other. Much of this is a waist of time and too self serving for him to be a part of. The next portion was directed towards the ruling bodies of the sport. Without going into details, let's say that it was not a pretty sight.

The last part of the belittling was a call for action. He and his guest expressed their disgust of how little harness racing cares about fans. Specifics references were made to Yorkers Raceway incidents. The two gentlemen made it clear that more hell has to be raised and more action taken by all in the room. When the smoke cleared, Larry and his guest were gone. I guess they were not in the mood for the after dinner dancing and socializing.

Many were shocked, but I was moved. You see, Larry Roman deserve to be heard. His love of harness racing shows in his emotions. The frustration he feels when he sees empty grandstands rips at his heart. He is a man of action. Just ask the folks at Monticello. He never says "NO" when asked for support for a promotion. He bought TV sets for the clubhouse dining area among other things. He loves the sport as a fan.

When Roman shocks a crowd at the Breeders Crown drawing or calls those in the business self-serving, he is voicing the excitement and frustration of the fans. Fans that want the sport to be raised to another level. Be sure to stay tuned to the Breeders Crown. You'll find two kinds of people waiting for Larry Roman's comments after the race. Those that will want him to say more and those that want him to say nothing. No in between.

The following is courtesy of Times in Harness

BIG BILL FOR HARNESS …….

In the New York State Assembly, a bill designed to provide financial support for state's harness tracks. The bill would help harness racing a number of ways, including ending the $100 per racing day license fee for racing associations and corporations (replacing it with a straight $500 per year fee); provide harness associations and corporations with a larger share of the breaks; lower taxes paid by off-track betting (OTB) corporations and on simulcasts received at tracks within the state (on bets for races run by other tracks within the state); require OTB corporations to simulcast all in-state harness in order to be eligible to take simulcasts from out-of-state harness; and lower the tax paid by OTB corporations on out-of-state harness signals and routing the savings to New York harness tracks and purses. Almost all of the revenue lost to the state in taxes and fees would flow to state harness tracks.

It is about time that the folks in Albany put 2+2 together and require OTB to show all NY harness racing at all outlets. For the past 25 years OTB has stripped NY tracks of all of it's fans and converted them to gamblers. The joy of spending a few hours with friends & family leisurely watching the races has no place in the hears of these gamblers. Oh so many years ago, the grandstands were full. The concessions were bustling. The fans gathered at the fence ready for the spectacle of the races presented to them.

Today the seats are empty. Only the simulcast rooms are busy. Race winners don't bother to stop at the winner's circle to get their picture taken. The few NY harness fans still around can just walk down the block and place their few bets. That is if it's being offered. If not, well their local OTB has plenty of out of state races to wager on.

Let's support this legislation and call your local assemblyman and tell them that NY OTB owes it to NY racing to carry its signal. It's the least they can do to keep this sport alive after making it sick for the past 25 years.

Paul Christopher

New Paltz, NY

___________________________

2000 has become a renaissance year in a lot of ways for Harness

Racing, and nothing showcased it better than The Meadowlands, which this past year had an all- time record purse structure, and brought many

people (including myself) back to a sport long declared dead. The purse

structure at The Big M created more claims than ever seen before,

especially at the higher levels.

The showcases of 2000, however, were the top horses, most notably

Western Ideal taking nearly every big money race The Meadowlands offered for older pacers, Magician taking the first-ever $1 Million Race for

older trotters and Moni Maker becoming the first standardbred ever to top

$5 Million in earnings when she took the Nat Ray on Hambletonian Day. To the mainstream media, however, their highlight was Yankee Paco's win in the Hambletonian itself. It was after that, however, that some things

that plagued the sport for years showed up once again.

After winning the Hambletonian, the connections of Yankee Paco chose not to contest the second leg of the Triple Crown of Trotting, The

Yonkers Trot, instead opting to race in the American-National at Balmoral

Park just outside of Chicago the same night as the final of The Yonkers

Trot. This marked the second straight year the winner of the Hambletonian

has passed the Yonkers Trot in favor of the American National, though in

fairness the connections of Yankee Paco had no opportunity to sweep the

Triple Crown of Trotting (last won by Super Bowl in 1972) since I

believe they were not nominated to the Kentucky Futurity, the third leg

that does not accept supplemental nominations. From my understanding, the connections of Yankee Paco were concerned he could not handle the tight turns of Yonkers Raceway (a half- mile track), and that's why they did

not start there, and also why in some circles the connections of Self

Possessed, the 1999 Hambletonian winner also didn't try for the Triple

Crown at Yonkers.

If the sport of Harness Racing is to be taken seriously by the

national media, the sport has to make every effort possible to have

Horses alive for the Triple Crowns start in all three legs of such

series. Perhaps on the trotting side, it is time The Hambletonian

Society (which operates The Hambletonian) should put in a stipulation

requiring the winner of that race to start in the Yonkers Trot, provided

he is not scratched by the track or state veterinarian or has an obvious

injury, or face being stripped of the Hambletonian win. Should such a

horse win the Yonkers Trot, a further stipulation could be added requiring

the winner must start in the Kentucky Futurity to try for the Triple

Crown, provided as noted above to avoid being stripped of the

Hambletonian win.

Walter Parker

Editor of UNITED FREE HANDICAPPERS

http://www.cybersheet.com/horsepix.htm

*-For those unfamiliar with Harness Racing outside of The

Hambletonian and Little Brown Jug, The Hambletonian is the first leg of Harness Racing's Triple Crown of Trotting at The Meadowlands in early August each year, the other two legs of which are the Yonkers Trot, currently contested in late August at Yonkers Raceway in Yonkers, NY, and the Kentucky Futurity, contested the Friday before Keeneland opens at the legendary "Red Mile" Harness track in Lexington, KY, while the Pacing

Triple Crown consists of The Cane Pace, currently contested on Labor Day weekend.

------------------------------------

I think it's an embarrassment, and think it's perhaps time the Hambletonian Society puts a stipulation that requires the Hambletonian winner, unless scratched by the track or state vet to race in the Triple Crown events (and such horses allowed to start with all fees waived under such circumstances, even if they were not originally nominated to the events), with the Hambletonian Society reserving the right to strip the Hambletonian winner of that title should he outright skip either of the other legs of the Triple Crown while still alive for that, unless he is sidelined by injury or illness.

Every effort should be made so that the Hambo winner is at Yonkers, and that includes asking Balmoral to move the American National to another date. That IMO would help the situation by not having that race as an option.

The same holds true on the pacing front. The best horses should be in the Triple Crown events, and until that happens, the mainstream media will not take this sport seriously.

Aloysius Francis

Wallkill, NY