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                                             Odds On Moinet
wins the first leg of the Night Style Series at The Meadowlands
     in 1:53 with leading driver George Brennan at the lines.

Meadowlands, Yonkers Cancel Saturday
Both the Meadowlands Racetrack and Yonkers have canceled their Saturday card due to extremely high winds and unsafe racing conditions.

Zenyatta Wins 2010 Debut
Undefeated Zenyatta, showing she's ready for next month's much-anticipated Apple Blossom Handicap (gr. I), rallied in deep stretch to register her 15th consecutive victory March 13 in the $250,000 Santa Margarita (gr. I) by 1¼ lengths and extending her career victory streak to 15-0.

The 6-year-old mare trailed a field of seven rivals going 1 1-8 miles in her season debut before unleashing her trademark late run to win under Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith.

Zenyatta was timed in 1:48.20 on the synthetic surface and paid $2.60, $2.20 and $2.10 as the overwhelming 1-5 wagering favorite in her first race in four months.

In New Orleans, 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra was upset in her season debut, possibly jeopardizing the highly anticipated first meeting with Zenyatta in the Apple Blossom next month in Arkansas.

She was beaten three-quarters of a length by Zenyatta's stablemate, Zardana; John Shirreffs trains both Southern California-based mares.

The two leading ladies of American racing were using Saturday's races as tuneups for their scheduled April 9 showdown. Zenyatta's co-owner, Jerry Moss, said he intends to run her there as planned.

Sears Gets Career Win 7,000
Harness racing's 2009 Driver of the Year Brian Sears reached career win No. 7,000 on Friday, March 12 at Meadowlands Racetrack. Sears guided trotter Muscles Marinara to an easy score in the $14,400 first race to reach the victory milestone.

On the earnings side, he surpassed $100 million in 2009, ranking him eighth on harness racing's all-time list. The United States Harness Writers Association named Sears the top catch driver in the sport for his achievements with Horse of the Year Muscle Hill last year.

Muscle Hill's 1:50.1 world record in the $1.5 million Hambletonian propelled Sears to a single-day earnings record of $1,555,674 on August 8, 2009. His five wins on the card included the $783,042 Hambletonian Oaks with Broadway Schooner, making Sears the first driver to win both trotting events in the same year.

A third generation horseman, Sears joined the Meadowlands driving colony seven years ago and won five straight driving titles from 2005-2009.

The 42-year-old Secaucus, NJ resident currently ranks second in the Meadowlands standings behind George Brennan. However, the summer stakes season looks bright for Sears. He has been named as the driver of defending 2-year-old pacing colt champion Sportswriter who is eligible to the $1 million Meadowlands Pace on July 17.

Racing's Dynamic Mares Race Saturday
Zenyatta & Rachel Alexandra Top Apple Blossom Noms
As expected, 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra and two-time champion Zenyatta were chief among the 45 fillies and mares nominated to the 45th running of the $5 million Apple Blossom Invitational (G1) at Oaklawn Park on Friday, April 9.

Nominations closed March 10. Should the two superstars enter the 1 1/8th-mile event, Oaklawn Park will extend invitations to eight other nominees to face them in what would be the richest race ever run exclusively for fillies and mares.The connections of Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta have both expressed their desire to see the two horses meet in the Apple Blossom and each has trained this winter with the trip to Arkansas in mind.

Rachel Alexandra, owned by Jess Jackson's Stonestreet Stable and Harold McCormack, will race in the $200,000 New Orleans Ladies Stakes at Fair Grounds on March 13. It is her first start since capping a perfect eight for eight season in the Woodward (G1) against older males at Saratoga last Sept. 5.

Zenyatta, racing for Jerry and Ann Moss, will also prep on March 13 in the $250,000 Santa Margarita Invitational (G1) at Santa Anita in her first race winning the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) on Nov. 6.

MTR Gaming Revenue Down in 2009
Revenue from 2009 racing operations for MTR Gaming Group fell 5.7% and earnings were down 9.5%, according to financial statements released March 12 from the company whose properties incude Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort and Presque Isle Downs. A bright spot in the numbers was the fourth quarter earnings (before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) that were up 10% for Presque Isle and flat for Mountaineer.

“We believe our properties are holding up well in the face of increased competition,” said Robert Griffin, president and chief executive officer for MTR Gaming. “Mountaineer continues to perform well despite the revenue impact from competition. In addition, we are preparing for the addition of table games in July 2010 at Presque Isle. In Ohio, we look forward to the reintroduction of the slots at tracks initiative.”

Griffin said MTR Gaming’s properties faced about $1 billion in new gaming competition last year, primarily from The Rivers casino in Pittsburgh, Pa., which opened in August 2009, and The Meadows Racetrack and Casino, also in western Pennsylvania south of Pittsburgh.

The company expects to find growth in the market when it begins offering table games like black jack and poker at Presque Isle and, hopefully, through video lottery terminals at the Scioto Downs harness track in Ohio. Right now the future of racetrack gaming is in limbo. Democrat Gov. Ted Strickland in 2009 directed the Ohio Lottery to allow up to 2,500 VLTs at each of the state’s seven horse tracks. The Ohio Supreme Court then ruled that Strickland’s directive was subject to referendum so the issue is expected to appear on the ballot Nov. 2.

In the meantime, the state General Assembly is debating House Bill 250, which establishes the licensing and procedures for the horse tracks to operate VLTs. The bill mirrors Strickland’s plan for the state to receive 50% of gross revenue from VLTs, and the racetracks the other 50%. There were no provisions for horsemen in the form of revenue for purses and breed development, though the governor urged tracks and horsemen to reach an agreement on a percentage.

MTR Gaming executives said the company spent $5.7 million on lobbying efforts last year but does not expect to spend anywhere near that much this year.

“We don’t know if there will be a drive against it or not,” Griffin said in a conference call with industry analysts. “If HB 250 does pass, it won’t pass with the 50% tax rate and licensing fee proposed.”

Regarding the recent announcement that Penn National Gaming Inc. would acquire Beulah Park, in Grove City, Ohio, Griffin said he thought it was good news for the state’s pari-mutuel industry. One analysts asked about rumors he heard that MTR Gaming might be playing a role in the acquisition, which Griffin declined to comment on.

In other company news, Jeffery Jacobs has resigned from the board of directors and steps down as MTR Gaming’s chairman. Board member Stanley Gorom III also resigned. Jacobs, who has an 18.5% ownership interest in MTR Gaming, will be replaced by Steve Billick.

“Now that I have achieved my main objectives as an MTR board member—which was to transition the company to a strong executive management team of professional gaming operators and an independent board of directors—I am able to turn my primary attention to other business interests,” Jacobs said in a statement.

WEG bolsters its Early Pick-4
Woodbine Entertainment Group has added a new twist to the early Pick-4 wager on Monday nights by offering a guaranteed pool of $35,000 starting this Monday, March 15.

The early Pick-4, which asks fans to pick the winners of four consecutive races beginning in Race 4, is one of the track's most popular nightly pools and consistently generates some of the largest payoffs of the week. On February 8, the early Pick-4 produced a jackpot return of $45,065.35 for a $1 combination.

"The Pick-4 wager has continually proven to be a popular bet with our customers," said Sean Pinsonneault, WEG's Vice President of Wagering Services. "We are very pleased to be able to offer the guarantee to showcase its value."

Woodbine's Monday programs have been receiving added exposure through the popular U.S. horse racing TV channel, TVG. In Canada, a portion of WEG's Monday night Standardbred racing is on The Score from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Odds On Moinet wins Night Styles leg
Fresh off an upset in the Tender Loving Care, Odds On Moinet picked up another victory in the opening round of the Night Styles Series on Thursday night at Meadowlands Racetrack.

Driven by George Brennan, Odds On Moinet slipped up the rail after a pocket trip to win the second of the two $16,000 splits for pacing fillies and mares in a career best 1:53. Despite her stakes win the week prior, Odds On Moinet was sent off as the 5-1 third choice in the betting and paid $12.40 to win. Mid-Western Jatelo rallied off a second-over trip to finish 1 1-4 lengths behind in second, while I Cant Stoplovinu flew home fastest of all to grab third.

Odd On Moinet posted her third win in four starts this season at Meadowlands Racetrack, where she won the $61,000 Tender Loving Care Final on March 5. A daughter of Real Artist-Aparte, Odds On Moinet was a $32,000 yearling purchase by trainer Robin Schadt and Dana Parham's Odds On Racing of Crete, IL. She has now won five of 13 career starts and $60,039.

Catawba brushed to the top at the half and held off Winsmith Jen by a nose to win the first of the two Night Styles divisions in 1:54.4. Odds On Aventure was three lengths behind them in third. Driven by Yannick Gingras, Catawba picked up her second win in four starts since trainer Delvy Lopez and Triple P Stables plucked her out of the 2010 January Select Mixed Sale for $20,000.

Tioga to Lower Takeout Rates
Tioga Downs, in its relatively short history, has consistently been on the cutting edge of adapting the racing model toward a more positive result. In a direct response to the vocal concerns of horseplayers, Tioga Downs will reduce its takeout rate across the board to the state minimum allowed by New York law for the 2010 racing season, pending regulatory approval of the New York State Racing and Wagering Board.

By taking such an action, Tioga management is hopeful that a positive response, over due course, will result in increased handle on its live races and foster an industry trend toward more competitive pricing.

A mutually beneficial dialogue has been ongoing between Tioga management and the Horseplayers Association of North America toward how the needs of the bettor may best be met.

HANA is a critical resource in understanding our customer and their input has been logical and subjective throughout. They recently conducted a member survey, where over 600 horseplayers who bet more than two times a week on average answered 50 questions, which yielded some interesting stats.

Most notable among those was the 85.1 percent of those polled who voiced “moderate to extreme concern” over high takeout versus the 2.8 percent who answered that they had “no concern at all” over the cost of wagering. The same poll indicated that 53.9 percent would be likely to increase their wagering at a reduced level.

Mr. Jeff Platt is the President of HANA and had this to say in support of Tioga’s initiative.

“We believe lower takeout is a step in the right direction and applaud Tioga for reaching out to the customer. Lower takeout gives players a better chance to win and over time enables players to bet more. In addition, by offering a low signal fee, Tioga is telling both ADWs and horseplayers 'We want your business.' We encourage horseplayers everywhere to support Tioga by betting their product.”

Tioga Downs' 2009 takeout rates were 18 percent for win-place-show, 20 percent for exactas/doubles and 25 percent for all other exotics. For the 2010 race season the price of those wagers will be reduced as follows: 15 percent for win-place-show, 17 percent for exactas/doubles and 21 percent for all other exotics, pending regulatory approval.

“Horseplayers have voiced their concern over the high takeout rates across our industry and we are responding to their call,” said Jason Settlemoir, Tioga Downs’ VP of Racing and Simulcast. “The USTA recently polled visitors to their Web site and 1,259 out of 1,710 people who voted (roughly 74 percent) responded they would be more apt to bet races if a track lowered their takeout rate. We will advertise that our takeout rates are the lowest allowed by law in New York State, and are anxious to see if business picks up due to the bettor realizing more money is going back in their pockets. We hope that bettors and host sites will support our initiative to lower takeout rates, and if our handle goes up, maybe our industry as a whole will adopt this philosophy.

“We would even consider going lower on the takeout rates to between eight and nine percent like the typical hold in the casino world if the state would allow us, and our export sites would be on board. This will be a one year pilot program that the STHHA stands behind; we had hoped to try this at Vernon as well but could not get the horsemen’s consent,” added Settlemoir.

In an effort to offset costs to host sites (tracks, OTB’s and internet platforms that take wagering on the Tioga Downs product), the price of the signal to the majority of sites will be reduced to 2 percent and decoders will once again cost only $50 a month.

Attendance Light at TRA/HTA Convention
Attendance has been light at this year’s joint annual meeting of the Thoroughbred Racing Association and Harness Tracks of America at the Hyatt Grand Champions Resort in Indian Wells, Calif. The conference began March 9 and runs through March 11.

At a panel discussing on suggestions for improvements to racing, Jeff Gural, the owner of harness tracks at Tioga Downs and Vernon Downs, New York, suggested that the light attendance was because “the race tracks that don’t have slots aren’t here because they can’t afford it. Those that do have slots aren’t here because they don’t care about racing any more.”

In contrast, he said, he built Tioga Park thinking about how to get people to come to the race track, not how to get them to come to the casino. “Make it fun,” Gural said, “and make it the right size. Nobody goes to an empty restaurant,” and the Aqueducts, Belmonts, and Meadowlands of the world are simply too big to be made to look lively.”

Gural also criticized Standardbred horsemen and breeders for putting their own interests ahead of those of the sport as a whole, with their focus on 2-year-old racing and the retirement of almost every “star” without racing at 4 (years old). “I’m 100% certain that harness racing won’t exist in 20 years,” he said. “Thoroughbreds might last a while longer, because they’ve got the Arab (owners).”

Nevertheless, Gural said, “even though I’ve lost a lot of money, I still enjoy running Tioga Park.” And despite his losses, he remains an advocate of reducing the takeout. “If you’ve got slots,” he said, “the pari-mutuel revenues are a drop in the bucket. Why offer slots with an 8% takeout and then charge people 20% to bet on racing?”

Earlier in the day, Bennett Liebman, executive director of the Government Law Center at the Albany (NewYork) Law School, and former member of the New York State Racing and Wagering Board, lamented the “incredible history of unsolved mysteries and scandals galore” in the racing industry. A self-described “outsider embedded within horse racing,” he regaled the audience with stories ranging from Marge Everett’s involvement with bribery in Illinois in the 1950s, Alex “Doc” Harthill’s “five decades working on the dark side of Thoroughbred racing,” and fans rioting over an exacta payoff at Yonkers in 1971.He also highlighted more recent tales of rebaters such as the Hinsdale greyhound track in New Hampshire, Lakes Region (also in New Hampshire), and International Racing Group.

“Why were the most famous handicappers betting with these people?” he wondered.

In response to the allegation, however, that permissive medication is primarily to blame for the declining number of starts that Thoroughbred runners make over their careers, he theorized that “we can assume harness horses are running on the same drugs (as Thoroughbreds), so why are they running at the same rates that they always have?” He also observed that not all mysteries remain unsolved, with the 2002 Breeders’ Cup Pick-6 scandal a prime example in which the culprits indeed got collared.

In the end, Liebman admitted he was now a part of racing’s know-nothing culture. “Like the iconic Sgt. Schulz,” he said, “I know nothing.”

World Trotting Derby Ends at DuQuoin
Du Quoin’s 29-year run as “Home of the World Trotting Derby” has ended with the state’s decision to cancel both the 2010 derby and its companion World Trotting Derby Filly Division.

Eliminating the World Trotting Derby and other high ticket stakes is a move seen by many as a $1 million Du Quoin State Fair budget cut that will certainly leave Southern Illinois nervous about the future of the fair itself.

Du Quoin State Fair manager John Rednour told the Du Quoin Evening Call late Wednesday his administrative staff is on track for a full 10-day fair in 2010 which would run from Friday, Aug. 28, through Labor Day on Sept. 6.

Rednour said any thought to ending the fair or its non-fair events, campventions and RV rallies would be devastating on Southern Illinois’ economy.

“Without the fair, I could see at least five businesses in Du Quoin closing,” he said.

Millions of dollars roll through the region’s dining and hotel and motel industry because of the fair.

The decision to end the derby was apparently made jointly by the Illinois Department of Agriculture, the racing division and the fair.

The World Trotting Derby was created after a 1979 vote by the Hambletonian Society to move harness racing’s Crown Jewel from the Du Quoin State Fair (its home since 1957) to The Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J. The Hambletonian is part of harness racing’s Triple Crown that includes the Hambletonian, the Yonkers Trot and the Kentucky Futurity and has flourished since the move.

The Hambletonian’s future in Du Quoin was tenuous, at best, and the Saad Jabr family’s purchase of the fair in 1979 sealed the society’s decision to move the race. Unlike his father Gene Hayes and uncle Don Hayes — who twice before had successfully interceded to return the race to Du Quoin under multi-year contracts, the late W.R. Hayes II was unconvincing. The society and east coast horsemen saw the Jabr purchase of the fair as the perfect time to capture and move the race.

The World Trotting Derby as a replacement never completely rose to the ranks of being a harness racing classic.

It nonetheless was the early September acid test for 3-year-old trotters. Many set world records at Du Quoin and most went on to become either the United State’s Trotting Association’s 3-year-old Trotter of the Year or Horse of the Year. Many beat the records set in July in the Hambletonian.

The late Curt Green, harness racing author and onetime manager of the Du Quoin State Fair, created the World Trotting Derby. Former Illinois Gov. Jim Thompson’s staff and later Gov. Jim Edgar styled programs that would largely garner pari-mutuel revenue from betting on races at Maywood Park to pay for the World Trotting Derby purse.

At this writing, the owners 2009 World Trotting Derby winner Muscle Hill have not yet been paid by the State of Illinois, but will be paid soon.

March 15 is the deadline for initial eligibility payments to enter what would have been the 30th anniversary World Trotting Derby. The decision to end the 3-year-old trot comes on the eve of that deadline.

“The racing board and staff gets cut in this, too,” said Rednour. “Many people came down here on overtime.”

“As much as we hate to lose it, the State of Illinois will save that purse and the costs involved around it. We will save the cost of not only the derby, but the filly race and other races,” said Rednour.

It was the Magic Mile at Du Quoin, the Review Futurity in Springfield and the American National in Chicago that brought the fast multi-million dollar colts, fillies and geldings to the Midwest. Will we ever see that again? We may see it only because many horsemen recognize the Magic Mile as the fastest harness track in the world. Owners looking to add value to their colts in future syndication may still come. Only time will tell.

Some Illinois horsemen will actually applaud the decision to end the World Trotting Derby. For the past two years they have lobbied to move that purse money into Illinois owned and bred programs.

“Cutting out the World Trotting Derby is not something I want to do. You know me, I have always been a horseman,” said Rednour. “But, I don’t think taking the World Trotting Derby away will hurt us that much.”

While the fair staff has been asked to create scenarios for a shortened fair, Rednour said a 10-day fair just makes sense. “The real income times for the fair are the first weekend and the last (Labor Day) weekend,” he said.

“There is a problem to cutting back the fair to seven or five days,” he said. He said the fair is working to create night show and free entertainment schedules.

Presently, the USAC and ARCA racing programs are intact.

He said the fair will sponsor most of the entertainment. It may also lease the facilities to other producers to host their own shows.

“Maybe we can come up with some $2 and $5 ticket events to fill seats,” he said.

Zenyatta in Santa Margarita Saturday
Undefeated Zenyatta returns to action Saturday in the 73rd running of the Grade I, $250,000 Santa Margarita Invitational Handicap at Santa Anita, where last seen on Nov. 7 she was scoring an unprecedented victory over males in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic that extended her unbeaten streak to 14, led to a repeat as champion older female, and emblazoned her enormous popularity.

If you listen to her Hall of Fame jockey, Zenyatta's 2010 campaign as a 6-year-old will only buttress her brilliance.

"I know it sounds funny," Mike Smith said following a recent workout, "but I really think she's getting better."

Zenyatta will carry high weight of 127 pounds against eight opponents in the mile-and-one-eighth Santa Margarita as she prepares for her greatly anticipated showdown with 4-year-old filly Rachel Alexandra, the 2009 Horse of the Year, in the $5 million Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn Park on April 9.

Fans on Saturday may begin their 2010 comparisons between the pair of illustrious females. Rachael Alexandra makes her seasonal debut 25 minutes earlier than Zenyatta in the inaugural $200,000 New Orleans Ladies' Stakes over 1 1/16 miles at the Fair Grounds in Louisiana.

Scheduled post time for the seventh-race Santa Margarita is 3:40 p.m. on a 10-race program that begins at 12:30 p.m.