60 Minutes is doing a story this Sunday (Nov. 12) on our industry, along with the thoroughbred industry. Since 60 Minutes invited me on the program to weigh in with my opinions, and because I believe strongly in transparency in our industry, I thought it best to give stakeholders like you a heads up on what I forecast to be a less than favorable and not very flattering story to be aired.

I have been criticized by some in our industry who have placed blame on me for the decline of the average sales price at Harrisburg given my efforts to rid our industry of the purchase and use of illegal medications on our horses. At the same time that I have been a staunch and visible advocate against the purchase and use of illegal substances in our industry, I have invested heavily in insuring that we have viable and attractive venues to race our horses. Everyone appreciated it when I stepped up at the last minute to keep The Meadowlands afloat and rebuild its grandstand. Everyone was pleased, especially New York breeders like myself, that I was able to rescue Vernon Downs from bankruptcy and opened Tioga Downs, insuring two additional racetracks in New York to race our New York-breds. My personal and abiding commitment to the industry is reflected by the above and are very consistent to an industry that I love.

It should come as no surprise to many that I am also a very honest and transparent person. It has become very apparent to me that my candor does not sit well with some people. Nonetheless, I feel very strongly that horses should not be racing while employing illegal medications if our industry is to remain credible and sustainable. I believe most horsemen choose to be honest and agree with me. I would much prefer they not be placed in the untenable position that to compete they have to resort to the use of such medications.

I have spent over $2.5 million in this effort to address the improper purchase and use of performance enhancing medications and related substances. Apparently, the Department of Justice feels the same way about these substances as I do. That is clear from DOJ’s prosecutions in the Southern District of New York in the case of United States v. Navarro and related prosecutions against Seth Fishman, DVD, Lisa Giannelli and 27 others. These prosecutions in the Fishman and Giannelli cases have confirmed that it remains important to further investigate the issue of performance enhancing drugs in our industry especially in light of the information disclosed in the trials of Lisa Giannelli and Seth Fishman.

When we had the opportunity to make changes to the HISA legislation which would have effectively addressed our concerns, the USTA did not weigh in with the necessary language to do so. I believe this was a mistake. In my opinion, spending millions to fight that legislation in court sends the wrong message that our industry lacks the resolve and desire to solve the problem. So far, the various court challenges have failed and now the USTA is trying to advance new legislation which, in my view, has little hope of passing and effectively addressing the problem. The bottom line is that simply maintaining the status quo and not being proactive places our slot subsidy in jeopardy as the public does not support the use of illegal medications on race horses.

In my view, we have an opportunity now, unlike the thoroughbreds who now have an unsolvable problem of seeing horses die in training and, worse yet, in races. The drug problem in our industry can be solved.

I have not seen the 60 Minutes piece, but I doubt it is going to be helpful, especially since most major thoroughbred racetracks are now operating under HISA’s rules and regulations. Our horses are not dying and there is the opportunity now to clean up the drugs with strong regulatory oversight.

Jeff Gural / owner The Meadowlands,
Vernon Downs and Tioga Downs