Grand Circuit Points of Interest

With the posting of the Grand Circuit schedule, VFTRG contributor Joe F. has some observations regarding the coming and going of certain stakes races as well as purse changes.  Apparently, in addition to the Grand Circuit changing, purse values are also moving in both directions.

One thing to note is despite not being on the official Grand Circuit schedule, The Raceway at the Western Fair District will be a member of the Grand Circuit with the Molson Pace on May  31.  The reason it wasn't listed on the official schedule was WFD needed to wait until the announcement from Ontario Premier Wynne before making any official commitments.  The status of the Forest City Pace for mares is unknown at this time as the schedule at WFD is only firm through May 31, the rest of their schedule depends on how the racing schedule shakes out in the province.

Without further ado, here is Joe's entry 

The Grand Circuit schedule for 2013 was just released. Here are a few things that stand out.

·         The Maxie Lee at Harrah’s, which was held on Super Sunday in August, has been moved to May 26, the same day as the Betsy Ross. Last year both of those races went for $100,000. This year they each step up to $250,000. This positions the Maxie Lee three weeks after the Meadowlands Maturity and two weeks after the Cutler. The Betsy Ross will fall six days before the Golden Girls at the Meadowlands. The GG carries an estimated purse of $218,850.

·         The Yonkers Trot will be three weeks later in the season, on July 27, two weeks after the Stanley Dancer and one week before the Hambletonion. The companion Hudson Filly Trot remains back on July 6, a week before the Del Miller.

·         The Hambletonion purse has been cut 20% to $1.2 million, while the Oaks purse has been slashed 33% to $500,000.

·         The NA Cup purse has been reduced by 33% to $1 million.

·         Last year the Moni Maker and the Golden Girls were both held on August 17 at the Meadowlands. This year they head in different directions: the Golden Girls will be held June 1 while the Moni Maker will be pushed back to the track’s new “super night,” or whatever they’ll call it, on November 30.

·         The Messenger purse has been increased by 11% while the estimated purse on the companion Lady Maud drops 42%.

·         The Nadia Lobell, which was cancelled last year by Jeff Gural due to a lack of nominations, will be back on super duper night, November 30.

·         The Governor’s Cup, which was not held last year, will also be contested on super night, November 30. ARNRD won the race at Harrah’s in 2011. The purse was $510,000 which is what it is estimated to be this year.

·         The Three Diamonds, which was not held last year, will also be back on November 30. The purse is estimated to be $380,000, which is what it was two years ago at Harrah’s when Economy Terror beat Cookie, Pirouette and Shelliscape.

·         The Valley Victory will also be revived on November 30. The purse is estimated to be $410,000.

·         The Goldsmith Maid will also come back to life on November 30. It wasn’t raced last year. Crys Dream beat Cedar Dove at Woodbine in 2010 and Win Missy B beat Superstar at Harrah’s in 2011.

·         Some of the other purse reductions for stakes in Canada are:

Fan Hanover……..minus 33%

Goodtimes……….   “        28%

Elegantimage…….   “     27%

Roses Are Red……    “   12%

She’s A Great Lady   “   32%

Metro…………………    “   30%

CPD…………………...     “   28%

Peaceful Way……..    “   19%

Wellwood…………..    “   18%

Milton………………..    “   31%

Maple Leaf Trot…    “    27%

Armbro Flight……    “     24%

CTC………………….      “     30%

 

The Confederation Cup?....The Maple Leaf and Armbro Flight are not on the list released by the GC, but the Mohawk site has them on their stakes schedule at the reduced rates noted above…….The Hambletonion and the NA Cup are the only two million dollar races left.

One Hand Washes the Other

On the web, there has been commentary regarding Jeff Gural's latest Open Letter to trainers and owners.  Some are calling the letter naive or ballsy (which probably depends on how they feel about Gural).  Others will point out horsemen need to do what they can to maximize their earning potential; striking the anvil while it is hot.  There is something to be said about getting the money while you can for one accident can end a driver's career or as soon as the next hot driver shows up, you find yourself on the outside looking in (look at William O'Donnell's return to Canada as an example).  No doubt, the business side of harness racing as in all sports is about  'What have you done for me lately?'.

However, horsemen (more specifically trainers and owners) need to know who owns (operates) the football (racetrack).  In Gural's letter, he appeals to the horsemen for their support in helping the Meadowlands put on race cards with full, competitive fields by entering their horses at the Meadowlands.  Some may laugh at  it, knowing horsemen will race where they can earn the most money, especially when the racing may be easier there.  Quite honestly, I don't blame them.  However, trainers and owners would be well served to note later in the letter, specifically, "Another option that we might consider is a loyalty program whereby we create a formula that allows preference to those horsemen who support us in the spring and summer when we are racing the fall and winter meet".

Why should horsemen who abandon the Meadowlands the moment the Pennsylvania tracks open expect to traipse back to the Meadowlands when those tracks close and expect to be able to race as if nothing had happened?  They shouldn't, for those who support the Meadowlands during the lean days deserve the ability to move to the head of the line when the entry box is overflowing with horses with nowhere else to race.

This is not to say trainers should race exclusively at the Meadowlands.  Race in Pennsylvania if you must, bot make sure you don't forget the track in East Rutherford.  Otherwise, it may be a very cold winter when your string of horses are standing in their stalls with nowhere to race.  

All I am saying is one hand washes the other.  


On another subject, I have noticed short fields in some of the late closing series at the Meadowlands.  It seems these days once one or two horses assert themselves, the entry box for those events dry up resulting in short fields.  In the stakes races, you often see a consolation race.  Maybe it is time to offer consolation races in late closing events as a way to keep those horses who typically bail out of these series trying, knowing there is another chance to earn decent money if they don't get into the final..

As I said, one hand washes the other.



Elsewhere, it's a tough year in another province of Canada which seems to be hitting horse racing badly.  While talk is in place for opening a new track in the province of New Brunswick in partnership with the Woodstock First Nations Economic Development Corporation, this year looks to be a lean one in this Atlantic province.

The racing season in New Brunswick will lose one third of their race dates when compared to 2012 and it looks like there will be no Atlantic Sires Stakes (ASS) events in New Brunswick this year, meaning horsemen entered in the ASS will need to go to PEI and Nova Scotia to race (the three provinces combine their sires stakes program).  All this the result of the province cutting their support of racing by two-thirds  I am hopeful this is a temporary set back.

News Flash: Rocknroll Hanover - Dead at Age of 11

Rocknroll Hanover (Photo Courtesy of Suzanne D'Ambrose)

Harness Racing Update reports that Rocknroll Hanover, one of the most influential sires ever in the pacing ranks in recent years was euthanized this afternoon, the result of complications of colic.

RIP Rocknroll Hanover.  Our sympathies to his connections.  His passing is a loss to the standardbred industry.

UPDATE:  Here is an additional report from Harnessracing.com.

Jeff Gural Open Letter to Horsemen

Open Letter to all Owners and Trainers Racing in NY, NJ & PA

 

  As you know, the first twenty-nine days of the 2013 meet at the Meadowlands have been an overwhelming success.  The public has adapted to the classification system, along with the competitive style of racing full fields, etc. as our handle is up approximately 33%.  Last year we only had two days excluding the Hambletonian and Meadowlands Pace where the handle exceeded $3 Million dollars.  This year we already exceeded $3 Million dollars on thirteen occasions. 

  We are building a brand new grandstand as anyone who has visited the track can see.   I assure you it will be a first class facility and a place that you will be proud to come to with your family or other guests.

  That is the good news.

  The bad news is that because all of our income is derived from wagering and horse racing we need to continue to generate handles of over $3 Million dollars every Friday and Saturday.  In order to do that we require full fields and since we are only racing two days beginning next week essentially we need 250 horses each weekend to fill both cards. Last weekend we had twenty-five fewer horses racing over the weekend and as a result our handle declined by $508,000. 

  As we all know with Chester opening last week and Pocono opening in another week, in order for those two tracks to fill their cards they would probably need to have a minimum of an extra 1,000 horses assuming both tracks race four days a week as scheduled and thirteen or fourteen races per night which seems to be their plan. 

  Since both these tracks, as well as Yonkers, derive the majority of their purse money from casino gambling they often have purses equal or better than ours and most people think it is easier to win at those tracks as long as you do not draw too many eight or nine holes.  I understand all that but the Meadowlands cannot survive without having full fields and competitive races. The last two months have shown that the product is extremely popular with the people who wager on standardbred racing.  In fact, on a typical Saturday night 40% of all the money bet at US tracks is wagered on our product.

  To be blunt, I need the industry to step up and support the Meadowlands which may not be the best business decision for everyone in the short term but, in my opinion, the industry needs a healthy Meadowlands and we deserve the support of the industry. 

  The other option would be for us to drastically reduce the stakes program which I think would help increase our overnight purses but would have a very negative impact on the industry because our stakes program is vital to support the breeding industry.  It also serves to attract new customers by showcasing our best horses and creating the kind of excitement we see for our major races.  This will be especially true when we move into the new building. Currently we use 25% of our purse money to fund the stakes program approximately $4,200,000 while our competitors are typically using 10-12%. 

  To be honest, I am not sure there are enough horses for all of the race days that are scheduled at Chester, Pocono, Yonkers, Dover and the Meadowlands.  It would seem at some point it should be addressed as the number of mares bred and yearlings born each year continues to decline significantly.  Common sense would tell you that this has to have an impact and that race days have to start to come down.  The bottom line is we cannot survive without full fields as we get killed when we have six or seven horse races no matter what the quality is.  We struggled to fill the card with short fields the last two weekends and Pocono is not open yet. 

  One possibility would be to work with Pocono and Chester and try to come up with a schedule that would allow all of us to have full fields and quality racing.  One suggestion was to lower the purses in December, January and February when there is an oversupply of horses and increase the purses when the Pennsylvania tracks reopen.  Another option that we might consider is a loyalty program whereby we create a formula that allows preference to those horsemen who support us in the spring and summer when we are racing the fall and winter meet. 

  I would rather see the industry support us on a voluntary basis as I think it is in everyone’s best interest that we continue to provide the type of product we have been providing for the last two and a half months.  Hopefully I can count on your support.

 

Jeff Gural

Where to Start....

Penn National Gaming has instituted an 'Equine Fatality Inquiry Process' for all their thoroughbred tracks where in the event of a racetrack fatality, the trainer comes in with veterinary records and explains the fitness of the horse, how the horse was trained, any history of injuries, and a copy of the necropsy report if it was performed.  This rule was in effect in 2012 at Penn National's flagship track and while there was no 'ah ha' moment, there was an opportunity to make some changes as a result of these interviews.

Unfortunately, this rule does not apply to any of their harness tracks such as Bangor Raceway,  Freehold Raceway (in partnership), Raceway Park, and Rosecroft Raceway.  While racetrack breakdowns in harness racing are thankfully significantly less, there is no reason such inquiries should not take place, especially when there are so few of them it won't exactly be time intensive.  PNG and other standardbred racetracks should adopt such inquiries in an effort to cut down the few breakdowns to an even smaller number.


Here is an article on the battle Running Aces Harness Park is fighting for its survival.  The article speaks for itself.


Today is Valley View Down's deadline to secure financing to build the racino.  Will they make it?  Based on past performance, not likely  The latest connections of the vapor racino faces a vote next week by the PAHRC at their regularly schedule meeting.   If the financing is not secured,  the PAHRC should revoke the license and open the bidding once again or just kill the project once and for all.  UPDATE:  Valley View Downs gets a 78 day extension and is talking with Penn National Gaming about financing, including an equity stake.


I have evolved somewhat on the use of furosemide,  more commonly known as Salix®.  As you know furosemide is the anti-bleeding medication used on race horse for EIPH.  Now, don't get me wrong, I criticize the industry for not looking at EIPH horses as a breeding defect and keeping them out of the breeding shed in an attempt to eliminate the tendency of bleeding from the gene pool.  That being said, the real problem with race day furosemide is not the drug itself, but the reputation racing has as being a drug infested industry.  If racing had a reputation of racing on oats, hay, and water, no one would be questioning the use of  furomeside.  The use of race day treatment with this medication  should be allowed.  At the same time, racing needs to clean up its act with regards to illegal medications.

With regards to the use of phenylbutazone (Bute) which is allowed in certain racing states, this is a drug which should be banned on race day.  My reasoning is simple.  If a horse is too sore to race cleanly, the horse belongs in the field or the barn to continue their recovery.


Regarding my comments yesterday on how the Meadowlands will be providing trainer comments explaining layoffs, once again, I congratulate the Meadowlands on instituting  this policy.  The success of this program depends on what the trainer reports.  I don't think trainers will be lying to pull one over the horseplayer, but may be hesitant in their remarks to temper unrealistic expectations from the gaming public.  I hope this program is successful, but time will tell how it works.  If it works, it may be one of the greatest pro-gambler improvement we've seen in a long time.


There is a bipartisan effort to ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption as well as the transport of horses to Mexico or Canada for slaughter.  While the Safeguard American Foods Export Act of 2013 is enjoying bipartisan support, there will be opposition to this bill.to those looking to make a buck on the misery of these unwanted horses.  Yes, there are too many unwanted horses but instead of slaughtering these horses, we should hold horse owners responsible for their charges.  If you agree with this legislation, contact your Representatives and Senators urging their support.