Campbell Wins the 'Big One'

Well 'Big One' may be an exageration, but Congratulations to John Campbell on winning one race which has alluded him, the $217,140 Battle of Waterloo at Grand River Raceway.  Campbell won with Go Daddy Go in 1:55 and it seems appropriate that he won for trainer and owner Robert McIntosh who he has combined for many victories in his storied career.



As Campbell's career slowly winds down, it is nice to see Campbell check off these stakes which have alluded him.

Also on the Industry Day card, Grand River sponsored another RUS event with wagering.  This was not the cleanest start as a horse went off-stride well before the start of the race but fortunately, Ontario has the fair start rule.  A total of $12,359 was wagered on the race; not the greatest handle on a card filled with stakes races but still a respectable number.




As has been pointed out by some of our astute readers, there are not enough horses to sustain a prolonged period of RUS racing in a season; you can't have the same 20 horses being used all the time.  Of course this is true but as time goes on and more wagering opportunities arise which allow purses to be generated from purse accounts instead of depending on donations, the horses shall come.

Next stop for RUS Ontario is August 19 at Georgian Downs.


Meadowlands Casino - No sure bet.  There is no reason to panic at this time but while everyone assumes once they get Governor Christie and Senate President Sweeney on board with a casino in Northern New Jersey (Meadowlands), it is all but a done deal.

Well, it turns out not so fast.  While they may get the politicos in favor of a Northern New Jersey casino, there is still work to be done in convincing the New Jersey electorate.  Polls show the public is not fully convinced about the expansion of gambling in the state.  Depending on the poll and the wording, expansion is barely approved thanks to the opinions of voters who tend not to be that diligent in voting or the vote comes out against expansion.  There is plenty of time to launch a marketing campaign to win over the public and explain to them the benefits outweigh the risks, but to just assume the public will vote for the referendum is a mistake, one that could cost the NJ racing industry as well as NJ taxpayers.