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Old 07-30-2010, 01:20 AM   #1
David-LV
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SBOANJ Issues Call For Unity & Support For Racing In New Jersey

This meeting was held today at The Meadowlands.

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SBOANJ ISSUES CALL FOR UNITY & SUPPORT FOR RACING IN NEW JERSEY


The Standardbred Breeders & Owners Association of New Jersey held a meeting with nearly 150 trainers, drivers, breeders, owners and caretakers on Thursday, July 29, 2010 at the Meadowlands Racetrack, calling on the horsemen to support efforts to revitalize racing in the state.

“Horses have been a cornerstone of New Jersey since colonial days and a major component of the state’s agri-business for a hundred years,” said Tom Luchento, president of the SBOANJ. “Notwithstanding the Governor’s Report prepared by Jon Hanson, we are not folding, fading or leaving. Let me dispel the rumors. We are not done here. We are not close to closing the doors here [the Meadowlands] or at Freehold.

“Given the nature of the Commission [The New Jersey Gaming, Sports and Entertainment Advisory Commission], the Hanson Report was not a surprise but it was still a hard pill to swallow,” he added. “What the Report offers racing are largely undoable options.

“Our appeal to the state is not only for the preservation of racing but also the land that is dedicated to horse farms, training centers and the supporting industries,” Luchento noted. “This is a Green Acres issue in this state. Already half the open space in New Jersey has been developed and more will follow.

“We are not going quietly into the night,” Luchento said. “We have a battle to fight and both the thoroughbred horsemen and the standardbred horsemen are united in this battle.”

The overriding theme by Luchento and several other speakers who asked questions was their frustration with the Hanson Report and the need for unity.

Luchento asked horsemen to express their concerns to their legislators and to attend the Gaming Summit at Atlantic City’s Convention Center at 10 a.m. on August 6 and a second session that will take place at the Meadowlands in September.


FULL TEXT OF TOM LUCHENTO’S PRESENTATION

Horses have been a cornerstone of New Jersey since colonial days and a major component of the state’s agri-business for a hundred years.

Notwithstanding the Governor’s Report prepared by Jon Hanson, we are not folding, fading or leaving.

Let me dispel the rumors. We are not done here. We are not close to closing the doors here or at Freehold.

Given the nature of the Commission, the Hanson Report was not a surprise but it was still a hard pill to swallow.

What the Report offers racing are largely undoable options. No one would lease or buy the track without slots. Racing at other venues like Monmouth Park, Atlantic City or a training center are not good alternatives.

Never has racing in this state been in a more precarious position. We need your support. It is crucial that you support New Jersey racing at the entry box and by voicing your concerns to the Governor and your representatives in Trenton.

We are well aware that you and I are standing on an incredibly valuable piece of property, coveted by power brokers who have visions of sleek hotels and sparkling casinos. Well, they are not going to deny us slots and turn this into Atlantic City north.

We are not going quietly into the night. We have a battle to fight and both the thoroughbred horsemen and the standardbred horsemen are united in this battle.

We have the support of horsemen throughout North America. We have met with representatives of the Hambletonian Society, the United States Trotting Association and other groups who support us. We thank Mike Tanner, executive director of the USTA, for coming tonight. We appreciate the wisdom of the Hambletonian Society Board, including president Tom Charters and chairman John Cashman.

Breeders including Anthony Perretti of Perretti Farms, Mark Mullen of Fair Winds Farm, Mike Gulotta of Deo Volente, George Segal of Brittany Farms and Jim Simpson of Hanover Shoe Farms have championed our cause and support us.

We are reviewing solutions offered by many sources. Among them could be something similar to what is taking place at Monmouth Park this summer – an elite meet of 100 days with $400,000 a day in purses. We will look for funding to support this as well as our breeding programs. We believe that at least half of this can be generated by handle on our live races.

• We look for the expansion of Off Track Wagering locations and a share in their ownership.
• We could ask for the sales tax on horse sales and claiming races to be dedicated to purses.
• We have not given up on a purse enhancement agreement – or even racinos.

Our appeal to the state is not only for the preservation of racing but also the land that is dedicated to horse farms, training centers and the supporting industries. This is a Green Acres issue in this state. Already half the open space in New Jersey has been developed and more will follow.

We need to continue to speak with one voice. We need the taxpayers of New Jersey to understand that a racino at the Meadowlands will yield $1 billion in tax relief and services for all citizens, not the chosen few in Atlantic County.

A group of legislators has called for a Gaming Summit which will make its first stop in Atlantic City on Friday, August 6 at 10 a.m. in the Convention Center. We will be there. We would like you there too.

There will also be another session held at the Meadowlands in September. It will be essential that this is fully supported by all horsemen.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Meadowlands is not only the cornerstone of New Jersey racing, it is essential to the entire industry.

Like the Yankees are to baseball, the Meadowlands is the most important franchise in the sport. We cannot let this franchise die.


_________
David-LV

Last edited by David-LV; 07-30-2010 at 01:29 AM.
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Old 07-30-2010, 01:36 AM   #2
kenwoodall2
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Dumpster diving

They want "horsemen" to own OTBs and bettors to fund it- "• We could ask for the sales tax on horse sales and claiming races to be dedicated to purses."
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Old 07-30-2010, 08:31 AM   #3
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• We look for the expansion of Off Track Wagering locations and a share in their ownership.
• We could ask for the sales tax on horse sales and claiming races to be dedicated to purses.
• We have not given up on a purse enhancement agreement – or even racinos.


These are items that the Governors commission failed to recognize, which would be beneficial to the entire state in the long run and not just the south Jersey contingency.
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Old 07-30-2010, 09:14 AM   #4
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my opinion on this matter is that they have done a super job with the harness meets at meadowlands. of course there is more to be done like in thoroughbreds.

i think that a good way to start to revamp this game would be to limit trainers and owners to so many entries per week. the game needs more owners and trainers desperately. alot of people are going to disagree with me on this one for great reasons. but we are dealing with survival and here and drastic measures must be taken to get new faces in the game. the faces that are in this game are doing little to promote the sport, if anything they are scaring others away from it.
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Old 07-30-2010, 10:33 AM   #5
The_Knight_Sky
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Quote:
Originally Posted by David-LV

Ladies and gentlemen, the Meadowlands is not only the cornerstone of New Jersey racing, it is essential to the entire industry.

Like the Yankees are to baseball, the Meadowlands is the most important franchise in the sport. We cannot let this franchise die.


If anyone really wants to drive home the point...

Present a chart listing the amount of revenues since 1980 derived
from live racing and simulcasting at The Big M that has been taken away
for other projects unrelated to horse racing.
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Old 07-30-2010, 10:56 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The_Knight_Sky
If anyone really wants to drive home the point...

Present a chart listing the amount of revenues since 1980 derived
from live racing and simulcasting at The Big M that has been taken away
for other projects unrelated to horse racing.
There has been a significant amount of monies generated by the racing industry that has helped out all of NJ, including Atlantic City. Here is what Christi would also like to do with NY taxpayers monies...
<Christie also endorsed providing $875 million in state financial help for the Xanadu project, saying the $2 billion project has come too far to abandon. It is not certain whether the complex’s much-maligned exterior color scheme — a mismatched melange of lime green, brown, beige and turquoise panels — will have to be replaced as a condition of receiving financial aid.>

A $2b eyesore that should be made into a family themed entertainment center and casino, but done so by a private company and not the state.
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Old 07-30-2010, 02:51 PM   #7
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I hope they passed around a very large hat, and have it earmarked for the Governor. Its the only shot......
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Old 07-30-2010, 05:24 PM   #8
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There has been a significant amount of monies generated by the racing industry that has helped out all of NJ, including Atlantic City. Here is what Christi would also like to do with NJ taxpayers monies...
<Christie also endorsed providing $875 million in state financial help for the Xanadu project, saying the $2 billion project has come too far to abandon. It is not certain whether the complex’s much-maligned exterior color scheme — a mismatched melange of lime green, brown, beige and turquoise panels — will have to be replaced as a condition of receiving financial aid.>

A $2b eyesore that should be made into a family themed entertainment center and casino, but done so by a private company and not the state.
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Old 07-30-2010, 06:15 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hanover1
I hope they passed around a very large hat, and have it earmarked for the Governor. Its the only shot......
The governor does not make the laws or the rules.

This is only the first inning of a very long fight.

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MONMOUTH=A SCORE AT THE JERSEY SHORE.
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Old 07-30-2010, 07:40 PM   #10
Hanover1
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Quote:
Originally Posted by David-LV
The governor does not make the laws or the rules.

This is only the first inning of a very long fight.

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MONMOUTH=A SCORE AT THE JERSEY SHORE.
And the entity with the most clout and cash will win.....NJ long ago showed us how politics are played, and its not all red, white and blue, but lots of grey and green......
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Old 07-30-2010, 11:48 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by Hanover1
And the entity with the most clout and cash will win.....NJ long ago showed us how politics are played, and its not all red, white and blue, but lots of grey and green......
This may be an article that you may want to read before you sound the death knell for New Jersey Racing.

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In New Jersey, It Has Only Just Begun


Meadowlands is the most recognized brand in harness racing in North America, certainly worth more than a brush off or closure, and the apple of the eye of many North Jersey legislators that will have a say in enacting any recommendations in the report;

Whether or not it loses a few million dollars, this year’s Monmouth Park meet has set very positive tone for horse racing and represents a major change in thinking that shouldn’t be dismissed in a couple of sentences;

New Jersey should be proud to have a racetrack at which total handle is up 115%, something absolutely unheard of at a time of steady declines in pari-mutuel handle elsewhere;

The often-criticized New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority has proven to be one of the top racetrack operators in the country since Meadowlands opened in the mid-1970s, so much so that racing alone produced hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue that was siphoned off and used for other programs;

Horse racing has legislative friends in high places;

New Jersey is broke and needs money.

Put all that stuff together and what you have is a report that needs to be completely reworked. And that may very well occur.

The sun isn’t setting on New Jersey racing, but it is rising on a process that, best guess, will take years and years to get through.

The whole article can be read at this link:

http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/at-la...ust-begun.aspx

Last edited by David-LV; 07-30-2010 at 11:52 PM.
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