http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/news/2-3-14/pierce-shifts-weekends-yonkers.html
"I was talking to a friend of mine, and he said, 'Do you realize you made more money in the last two nights than in the last month at the Meadowlands?'".... I'm going to drive Yonkers Fridays and Saturdays until the beginning of the Grand Circuit season," he said. "I know the Meadowlands isn't going to like it, but I have to go where I can get more live drives."
But how did Pierce even end up driving at Yonkers that weekend? It certainly wasn't any big stake races or a special night. Simply, they were racing steady while The Meadowlands had been dark for a few weeks. Yonkers races five nights per week every week. It is a circuit. If drivers don't race, they don't get paid. That is the reality of their profession.
"With the Meadowlands closed, owner Martin Scharf asked me to come over and drive two of his horses, and I figured, why not? The trotter, Harbor Point, didn't even get in (Friday) and the pacer (Dovuto Hanover) didn't get over the track at all (third in Saturday's Open)."
Even though Pierce didn't do well with the horses he came specifically to drive, he is Ron Pierce and he picked up many other decent drives,for which he won 7 races over two days and made good money. The kind of money a top driver makes day in and day out when the racing is steady and the purses are good.
Last year, when Jeff Gural was doing all he could to save Harness Racing at The Meadowlands I was on board with him.
Yes, I still am to some extent. Certainly he has done more than almost anyone to bring live racing in the big leagues back to the forefront. I give him major credit for that. The Meadowlands has long been the mecca of harness racing and the big leagues. Nobody I know disputes that. The fact that it was all but dead if not for Gural is not lost on any of us who understand the peril racing was in and continues to be in.
“A healthy Meadowlands can do a lot of good for the whole sport in general. I feel the same way about Woodbine. If these racetracks go down, I think the business might go down,” Gingras said.
-Yannick Gingras
There is no doubt in my mind that if The Meadowlands goes down and Woodbine/Mohawk does as well, or cuts back anymore to the point that it isn't a major circuit (which it is dangerously close to now as it is), harness racing as we know it will not exist. It will go back to the way it was before Roosevelt and other tracks got lights and added night racing-a seasonal thing that requires most participants to have second jobs, day jobs to survive. Even the more successful ones. Very few can survive on the racing opportunities and purses that exist without those circuits.
As it was, the Meadowlands only races about 8 months a year, and in the early winter, only 2 nights a week with 3 nights a week after New Years if the weather cooperates. Which it hasn't this winter.
That is, until they SHUT DOWN FOR TWO WEEKS to accommodate the Super Bowl at the Meadowlands. From what I understand, the racetrack got paid very well for doing that. I understand why Gural does that. He has sunk many millions into the track to rebuild and re brand it so that it is an attractive place to come watch and wager as well as attract internet wagering. He has been successful to this point doing that.
But in shutting down for two weeks, what he has done is drive the remaining drivers away to other tracks. Some will come back, others wont. Pierce made the decision not to. So did a lot of the horses that spread out to look for racing opportunities. While the Meadowlands was hosting the Super Bowl, owners still had to pay training bills on their horses and drivers didn't get paid unless they found somewhere else to race.
And what did all this accomplish. According to Gural, it wasn't even worth the agony he had to deal with in the dictatorship that is the NFL.
"....The Host Committee paid to rent out the new racetrack grandstand for a major pre-game party on Super Bowl Sunday afternoon.
“Under my lease, I was obligated to close for the week before the Super Bowl, so I knew I would lose three dates,” Gural told me Friday, referring to not having the track open on Thurs-Sat, Jan. 30-Feb. 1.
“[The NFL] asked me to let them use the track for an extra four days, which eliminated two additional racing dates,” Gural added, referring to the fact that he agreed to also shut down the track on Thurs-Sat, Jan. 23-25. (Gural was able to get one date back by racing on Wed., Jan. 22.)
“I did this as a favor, which was stupid because any favor I asked of them was rejected,” Gural said. “It’s my fault I didn’t get anything for the extra few days, because I tried to be nice and did not ask for anything.”
The Meadowlands track is in its prime winter season, so Gural not only lost two dates – while settling for a less attractive makeup date of Wednesday from a third lost date – but two major ones. The track has had some success in battling tracks in other states in the region that have their betting purses supplemented by slot machine revenues – a luxury that Gural does not have."
So in essence, Gural did a favor for the NFL, when he did not have to, while he basically screwed the owners and drivers he wants to be loyal to him. If I was them, or Pierce, I would take that as a sign that I should follow the money. Which is what he is doing. If you want loyalty, you have to provide stability and opportunity. You don't accomodate an industry that does nothing for you. Which is what Gural did. The NFL is gone now and another top driver is as well. What has been gained? I don't see it as anything more than a few million that is a drop in the bucket relative to the big picture long term goal.
http://www.northjersey.com/news/Meadowlands_track_owner_a_fan_of_Super_Bowl_Host_Committee_NFL_not_so_much_.html
The
Host Committee paid to rent out the new racetrack grandstand for a
major pre-game party on Super Bowl Sunday afternoon, and Gural said he
is looking forward to it.
But the National Football League? Gural is not nearly as happy about them.
“Under my lease, I was obligated to close for the week before the Super Bowl, so I knew I would lose three dates,” Gural told me Friday, referring to not having the track open on Thurs-Sat, Jan. 30-Feb. 1.
“[The NFL] asked me to let them use the track for an extra four days, which eliminated two additional racing dates,” Gural added, referring to the fact that he agreed to also shut down the track on Thurs-Sat, Jan. 23-25. (Gural was able to get one date back by racing on Wed., Jan. 22.)
“I did this as a favor, which was stupid because any favor I asked of them was rejected,” Gural said. “It’s my fault I didn’t get anything for the extra few days, because I tried to be nice and did not ask for anything.”
The Meadowlands track is in its prime winter season, so Gural not only lost two dates – while settling for a less attractive makeup date of Wednesday from a third lost date – but two major ones. The track has had some success in battling tracks in other states in the region that have their betting purses supplemented by slot machine revenues – a luxury that Gural does not have.
- See more at: http://www.northjersey.com/news/Meadowlands_track_owner_a_fan_of_Super_Bowl_Host_Committee_NFL_not_so_much_.html#sthash.a2AMbvLM.dpuf
Gural has long been vocal that he wanted to see some industry loyalty to the people who were making the effort to promote the live product and bring the fans back. In most cases, he has done that. In this case, he has not. The fans want live racing and they want it steady. He took that away from them, as well as the horsemen and owners, for no good long term reason.But the National Football League? Gural is not nearly as happy about them.
“Under my lease, I was obligated to close for the week before the Super Bowl, so I knew I would lose three dates,” Gural told me Friday, referring to not having the track open on Thurs-Sat, Jan. 30-Feb. 1.
“[The NFL] asked me to let them use the track for an extra four days, which eliminated two additional racing dates,” Gural added, referring to the fact that he agreed to also shut down the track on Thurs-Sat, Jan. 23-25. (Gural was able to get one date back by racing on Wed., Jan. 22.)
“I did this as a favor, which was stupid because any favor I asked of them was rejected,” Gural said. “It’s my fault I didn’t get anything for the extra few days, because I tried to be nice and did not ask for anything.”
The Meadowlands track is in its prime winter season, so Gural not only lost two dates – while settling for a less attractive makeup date of Wednesday from a third lost date – but two major ones. The track has had some success in battling tracks in other states in the region that have their betting purses supplemented by slot machine revenues – a luxury that Gural does not have.
- See more at: http://www.northjersey.com/news/Meadowlands_track_owner_a_fan_of_Super_Bowl_Host_Committee_NFL_not_so_much_.html#sthash.a2AMbvLM.dpuf
The
Host Committee paid to rent out the new racetrack grandstand for a
major pre-game party on Super Bowl Sunday afternoon, and Gural said he
is looking forward to it.
But the National Football League? Gural is not nearly as happy about them.
“Under my lease, I was obligated to close for the week before the Super Bowl, so I knew I would lose three dates,” Gural told me Friday, referring to not having the track open on Thurs-Sat, Jan. 30-Feb. 1.
“[The NFL] asked me to let them use the track for an extra four days, which eliminated two additional racing dates,” Gural added, referring to the fact that he agreed to also shut down the track on Thurs-Sat, Jan. 23-25. (Gural was able to get one date back by racing on Wed., Jan. 22.)
“I did this as a favor, which was stupid because any favor I asked of them was rejected,” Gural said. “It’s my fault I didn’t get anything for the extra few days, because I tried to be nice and did not ask for anything.”
The Meadowlands track is in its prime winter season, so Gural not only lost two dates – while settling for a less attractive makeup date of Wednesday from a third lost date – but two major ones. The track has had some success in battling tracks in other states in the region that have their betting purses supplemented by slot machine revenues – a luxury that Gural does not have.
- See more at: http://www.northjersey.com/news/Meadowlands_track_owner_a_fan_of_Super_Bowl_Host_Committee_NFL_not_so_much_.html#sthash.a2AMbvLM.dpuf
But the National Football League? Gural is not nearly as happy about them.
“Under my lease, I was obligated to close for the week before the Super Bowl, so I knew I would lose three dates,” Gural told me Friday, referring to not having the track open on Thurs-Sat, Jan. 30-Feb. 1.
“[The NFL] asked me to let them use the track for an extra four days, which eliminated two additional racing dates,” Gural added, referring to the fact that he agreed to also shut down the track on Thurs-Sat, Jan. 23-25. (Gural was able to get one date back by racing on Wed., Jan. 22.)
“I did this as a favor, which was stupid because any favor I asked of them was rejected,” Gural said. “It’s my fault I didn’t get anything for the extra few days, because I tried to be nice and did not ask for anything.”
The Meadowlands track is in its prime winter season, so Gural not only lost two dates – while settling for a less attractive makeup date of Wednesday from a third lost date – but two major ones. The track has had some success in battling tracks in other states in the region that have their betting purses supplemented by slot machine revenues – a luxury that Gural does not have.
- See more at: http://www.northjersey.com/news/Meadowlands_track_owner_a_fan_of_Super_Bowl_Host_Committee_NFL_not_so_much_.html#sthash.a2AMbvLM.dpuf
“Last year Yannick (Gingras) and (George) Brennan left to drive at Yonkers. I met with all the drivers and asked them to support my effort to turn things around which would certainly benefit them. Yannick thought it over and decided to come back while Brennan decided driving for Lou Pena and others at Yonkers was better for him. Had the other drivers made the same decision, there would be no Meadowlands,”
-Jeff Gural
Part of the reason that one driver did not stay (Brennan) was that Gural excluded (barred would be a more accurate term) Lou Pena from racing at the Meadowlands. It was a move most of us applauded, due to the fact that the common perception is that Pena is a cheater and nobody was willing to do anything about that. Gural did. But in so doing, he sent him elsewhere, and that meant Brennan was going to follow him if he wanted to continue to ride that gravy train. Who can blame Brennan? Not me. I get that.
http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/news/1-6-12/pena-files-lawsuit-over-big-m-barring.html
Eventually, Gural also banned Brennan, although he let him back because he really had no choice not to. The racing commission decides who can race at your track, unless you can provide a valid reason why they can't. In Pena's case Gural could--Pena hurt the product and the image of the product. In Brennan's case, he could not. He simply didn't like that he was siding with someone he had barred.
Yonkers also banned Pena a year or so later. But the damage had been done. Brennan was mostly gone, although he still races at the Meadowlands from time to time. But Yonkers races 5 nights a week, and that is where you will find him now most nights. It is also the place you will find Brian Sears, and now Ron Pierce.
In Brian Sears case, he has never been a guy who stayed loyal to any track. He followed the money, and that meant going where the better horses and live drives were. If that was The Red Mile one day, Mohawk the next and Yonkers or the Meadowlands the day after--or anywhere--that is where he would go. Sears might be a catch driver, but he is a hired gun. He will follow the money. That is why he makes 8 million a year in purses, which means he consistently has pulled in 400k a year for himself. He has no reason now to show up at the Meadowlands if they aren't going to provide him with the chance to keep that level going. He is in his prime, and he has to maximize that. He can't be concerned with the long term health of the industry, when he likely wont reap any rewards from that.
Last winter at this time (January of 2013) Gural was very vocal about many trainers, and mostly drivers, not supporting his efforts by basically following the money-the slot money- to Yonkers and places like Pocono and Chester. And he is right. That is what they did and are still doing.
And who can blame them really? They are independent contractors and they don't get paid unless they earn. And how much they earn depends on the size of the purse and the frequency with which they race.
That is the small picture view of it.
http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/trot/march-2013/driven-loyalty.html
Loyalty is important in life. That is certainly true. But so is eating and supporting a family. You are loyal to your employer to a point. And that line is that your family comes first.
Drivers put their lives on the line every time they step out on the racetrack. We might all moan about some crap drive we got, but anyone who knows anything about racing understands how brave these guys are and the risks they take on a daily basis. If they go down in a race, many can be off from 4 months to almost a year. Some never get back on the track. The best case scenario is that they go down multiple times a year and hopefully don't have crippling injuries that linger for life that shorten their careers to the point that they are 45 years old and not able to earn a living anymore. I know many just like that.
So, there is a balance. You want to support the good of racing, because it is good for your career and earning power. But in the present, you have to earn a living and support your own career. A career where you have no guarantee of earning a cent when you wake up in the morning. You are basically a free agent every day of the week.
“I don’t think the loyalty issue goes beyond how much can I make on this night, and as short-sighted as that is, you look at some of the great drivers in the past and see how long their careers lasted. Truthfully, I’m afraid my career’s not going to last that long just by looking at the greats. Look at (Buddy) Gilmour [or] (Bill) O’Donnell. O’Donnell has this famous quip. He likes to say that if there was a great horse that raced in the 80s, he drove it. And that’s as far as that went. He didn’t drive any great horses in the 2000s, or even the late 90s, for that matter. Will that hold true for Jody Jamieson? I don’t know. So loyalty is a tough issue,”
-Jody Jamieson
Of course, Brian Sears, George Brennan and Ron Pierce aren't the only very good drivers on the planet and others will fill the void. That is not the issue. The issue is attracting the best to the mecca and showcase. That means trainers, drivers and horses. You do that by providing opportunity to compete and earn top dollar. That is the cornerstone of any business.
"In addition to Gingras, young up-and-coming drivers like Joe Bongiorno, Simon Allard and Corey Callahan are trying their hand at becoming the next big thing at the Big M.
...Callahan, who drives regularly at Dover Downs, is giving up his Saturdays in Delaware and will drive both Friday and Saturday nights at the Meadowlands to show his support for the track. “Basically, [Jeff’s] kind of taken this all upon himself to keep the Meadowlands alive and to really keep harness racing alive so the fact that he requests people to be there to put on a good product, I don’t think that that’s something unheard of,” Callahan said.
“I know that Jeff really likes harness racing and he wants to see it survive, but he’s also a very, very smart businessman and I don’t think he would have taken on a project like this not thinking there might be a good chance the Meadowlands could end up being that superstar racino,” he added."
The big picture view is that if there is no Meadowlands the industry will suffer. Everyone will suffer. That will filter down the food chain, just as it has in Ontario where top B track drivers have less opportunity now and the top 5 or 6 move around and fill those spots. The same thing will happen at Yonkers if the Meadowlands goes down. And at Woodbine/Mohawk.
I was at Yonkers back in the late 80s. Of course the track has a lot of history and you felt that when you were there. But frankly, it was a dump and barely anyone cared about the racing there. The only reason it is flourishing now is because of the casino money that underpins the purses. Take that away, and it is back to being a track that was once great but nobody cares about anymore. Very similar to Windsor Raceway and Roosevelt back in the 80s.
In Ontario, the money got pulled off the table, and so did the opportunity. You can be sure that will happen at Yonkers, and as well at The Meadows (which is now happening) and eventually Ohio, which is flourishing currently due to casino money.
http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/news/1-29-13/meadows-purses-drop-10-cent.html
I have also been to the Meadows several times, and even on Adios day (their big day) their isn't that much interest. It is way past its heyday and everyone knows that. The casino money has propped it up for a couple of years, but that is certainly coming off the table and likely the same thing that happened at WEG will happen there.
Racing 4 nights a week, 52 weeks a year..and give drivers a bonus if they have a certain amount of starts at your track. make it worth their while to stay. Everyone wins. Scott Zeron (the top driver at WEG in the last two years) decided to leave in November because he could see the chance to make money was slipping away. He headed to the Meadowlands and also races around that area, which includes Yonkers and also Pocono and Chester when they race.
http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/news/10-21-13/scott-zeron-heading-big-m.html
“This was difficult for me,” said Zeron. “Canadian racing has been my home and it’s not going to be easy leaving. But I have to do what is best for the longevity of my career and I think heading to the (United) States, specifically the move to the Meadowlands is the best thing for my career.”
-Scott Zeron
If you are a driver, the whole point is to show them the money. Many don't like that reality, but it is a reality. Loyalty can go only so far.
When you run a big time restaurant or department store, you don't just open a few hours a day or parts of the season. You have to be there all the time, keeping your market share and letting everyone who cares know you are open for business. That is the reality that Gural and New Jersey Racing Commission officials don't get.
The same reality that WEG doesn't get. Woodbine Harness is now down to 3 nights a week, and from December 28th to January 6th, they didn't race at all. That is 10 calender days. The second card of the year was January 10th. That means they raced 1 card in 14 calender days. How would you expect to keep top drivers and trainers if you don't race for 14 days? You can't. Top drivers like Scott Zeron have left. They wont be the last. The purses have dropped, and that was understandable considering the funding was cut. Dates have also been cut, and nobody expected the track to keep racing 5 days a week like it did forever for as long as I can remember up until about 2 years ago. But, 3 days a week? And no racing on New Years Eve and New Years day? That I had not seen. That is telling your loyal customer base that you really aren't the big time anymore.
That is the same message The Meadowlands is sending. Sadly, big time racing is happening at Yonkers. Until the slot money gets pulled there, and then it wont have a home to go to. Unless racing changes its attitude and starts to be run like a business. Which I don't see. Racing seems to never get that.
Really, The Meadowlands and Yonkers should be a circuit. A circuit that goes 7 days a week where all the best drivers, trainers and horses race. And everyone wins. The fans, the owners, the drivers, the trainers and the tracks. That is the logical solution to make it work. But again, horse racing very rarely takes the logical solution. They would rather shoot each other in the foot and stab each other in the back until they are both dead and nobody wins.
“I certainly understand Jeff’s position. He’s trying to maximize wagering dollars and we bet the most by far of any track in North America. It’s not even close and he’s wanting to make sure that his show is the best it could possibly be. I understand both positions [but] I don’t think there’s an optimum solution. It’s about dollars for Jeff, it’s about dollars for Brian. They both want to maximize dollars, they just don’t want to do it at the same track,” he added.
-John Campbell
Watching Yonkers tonight, I see many WEG horses racing there that certainly would have stayed on the WEG circuit had there been a 4th day of racing. As well, they are being driven by guys who raced at the Meadowlands and WEG (Zeron) and trained by guys who mostly raced at WEG as well. Because there simply is no choice. You can't blame them for following the money. The money trail has dried up for various reasons at the other tracks.
Jeff Gural is certainly well intentioned and has done some great things. I would never deny that. He has removed cheaters, saved the track in the first place, rebuilt the whole facility when he didn't have to do that and has generally gone the extra mile to cater to the fans and the horsemen. Yonkers owners only race because they have to to keep the Casino operating. They don't care one bit about the industry and will pull the plug on it if given the chance.
That means that the whole industry should support Gural...as he is their future. But in the present, Gural and the industry have to realize that they must maintain a certain level of product at all times if they want to keep all factions happy. Which is neccesary if the industry has any hope for a successful future.
Sadly, even the best of racing--Gural, Sears, Pierce and all the others--don't get that.
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