Gural is done talking

I don’t know why I bother to go public with my thoughts on harness racing, but I must love aggravation. After this, I have decided to go radio silent until I get a casino as the responses are so ridiculous. Joe [Faraldo] is absolutely correct that my trainer, Bob Bencal, who had trained for me for 40 years, loved stabling at Vernon when he shipped up from Florida with the young horses. Had I known I couldn’t race, and the horsemen would be unwilling to change it, there would be no Vernon and Tioga. If people think that New York racing would be better off without those two tracks, so be it. Considering that one of the problems we have is that with the exception of the three tracks I own and The Red Mile, all of the others are owned by casino companies who would like to see harness racing disappear. As far as his claim that there were suitors looking to buy Vernon and that he told me not to buy it, nobody could possibly think that is accurate. His claim that I had not turned over any purse money to the horsemen is also an outright lie as I told him as soon as we signed the contract, I would return the money. I never asked the SOA for any help in paying for the lighting at Vernon, I was asking the horsemen at Vernon to help pay since they would benefit. No surprise they said no. Strange behavior for people whose lives depend on me waking up in the morning deciding to keep Vernon open and lose $1 million for my trouble. As far as the Hambletonian issue, I don’t see how I can bid on March 1, which is what Campbell has asked me to do, when I won’t have any idea if I am getting a casino. All I could do would be to bid for a one-year extension, which I have offered, and that offer was rejected. In any case, this will be my last public statement on either the Hambletonian or Vernon Downs. My focus is going to be on getting a casino at The Meadowlands and if the Society wants to relocate the Hambletonian to Canada, they can.

Jeffrey Gural

Responding to Laura Young’s Feedback

Ms. Young, beware of a black swan event. Despite your assurances, if you keep railing on Jeff Gural, the only person to my knowledge who has ever tried to do anything for harness racing, you may find harness racing gone at The Meadowlands in the not-too-distant future. Thank you.

Gary Kay