Boris
02-03-2003, 09:38 PM
First, here's the story from DRF:
Mountaineer halts racing
By MATT HEGARTY
Mountaineer Park in West Virginia canceled live racing indefinitely Monday after the local horsemen's group filed a lawsuit accusing the track of sending its racing signal out of state illegally.
In a statement, Mountaineer said that it was canceling racing "until further notice while it attempts to clarify issues surroundings its contracts" with the Mountaineer Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, which represents horsemen at the track.
The lawsuit, filed Monday morning, accuses the track of accepting bets on the Mountaineer signal without horsemen's approval, a violation of federal law.
Harry Buch, the attorney for the horsemen, said Monday that Mountaineer's decision to cancel racing was in "clear violation of the state's racing rules," and that the association would seek to have racing restored immediately.
Mountaineer, which also runs a casino and hotel, has been locked in a dispute with horsemen over the track's number of racing days. Last year, the track scheduled 234 racing days, but this year, it applied for only 201.
In the statement, Mountaineer called the horsemen's lawsuit an attempt "to dictate the number of racing days through the court system."
Mountaineer was scheduled to run four days a week, from Saturday to Tuesday.
I also read the story at Bloodhorse. I would have looked for more stories, but I am already confused. I would guess we're bitching about money, but seems to me the MNTR horsemen have a pretty good deal. Can someone explain what exactly the problem here is; sending the signal out of state, the contract, or the number of racing days per year?
Boris, the confused horseplayer
Mountaineer halts racing
By MATT HEGARTY
Mountaineer Park in West Virginia canceled live racing indefinitely Monday after the local horsemen's group filed a lawsuit accusing the track of sending its racing signal out of state illegally.
In a statement, Mountaineer said that it was canceling racing "until further notice while it attempts to clarify issues surroundings its contracts" with the Mountaineer Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, which represents horsemen at the track.
The lawsuit, filed Monday morning, accuses the track of accepting bets on the Mountaineer signal without horsemen's approval, a violation of federal law.
Harry Buch, the attorney for the horsemen, said Monday that Mountaineer's decision to cancel racing was in "clear violation of the state's racing rules," and that the association would seek to have racing restored immediately.
Mountaineer, which also runs a casino and hotel, has been locked in a dispute with horsemen over the track's number of racing days. Last year, the track scheduled 234 racing days, but this year, it applied for only 201.
In the statement, Mountaineer called the horsemen's lawsuit an attempt "to dictate the number of racing days through the court system."
Mountaineer was scheduled to run four days a week, from Saturday to Tuesday.
I also read the story at Bloodhorse. I would have looked for more stories, but I am already confused. I would guess we're bitching about money, but seems to me the MNTR horsemen have a pretty good deal. Can someone explain what exactly the problem here is; sending the signal out of state, the contract, or the number of racing days per year?
Boris, the confused horseplayer