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Standardbred Owners File Suit Against Gural, Meadowlands For Exclusion Due To Allard Association

The following statement was released by the Meadowlands, Tioga and Vernon Downs and Jeff Gural on Friday, Aug. 27.

The Meadowlands, Tioga and Vernon Downs and Jeff Gural have been named in a lawsuit initiated by a number of Standardbred owners who allege to have been excluded from racing at the three tracks as a result of their patronage of trainer Rene Allard.

Allard was among more than 30 racing related individuals indicted and arrested in March 2020 by the United States Department of Justice for offenses relating to the systematic and covert administration of illegal performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) to racehorses. He was later included in a superseding indictment filed in federal court in December 2020. The charges remain pending.

The plaintiffs named are Kapildeo Singh, Lawrence Dumain, Ira and Brian Wallach, Yves Sarrazin, Erlin Hill, Bruce Soulsby and Alan Weisenberg, who in their complaint admit that they have an interest in horses stabled by Allard in Florida over the winter of 2020-2021. The complaint alleges that the plaintiffs were the victims of a conspiracy by Gural to exclude their horses from racing at the three tracks to gain a “competitive advantage.”

“It's a little discouraging that when you're trying to clean up the drug problem, we now have to hire an expensive lawyer to defend us against this lawsuit, which essentially calls me dishonest,” said Meadowlands President Jeff Gural. “Worse yet, we get no cooperation from the horsemen who love to complain about the drugs but don't lift a finger to help us catch the perpetrators. The lawsuit is without merit. We will vigorously defend against these allegations and look forward to being vindicated in court.”

According to ustrottingnews.com, the complain was filed on Aug. 23 in the U.S. District Court Northern District of New York. An initial conference before Magistrate Judge Miroslav Lovric has been set for Nov. 24, 2021 at 10 a.m. via teleconference.

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Meadowlands Teams With Warrior Ranch Foundation; Five Veterans To Enjoy Once-In-A-Lifetime Racing Experience

The Meadowlands Racetrack has teamed up with Warrior Ranch Foundation for a driving program designed for military veterans and first responders.

Army Ranger Paul Martinez (ret.) and world-class harness trainer Robbie Siegelman will be managing the six week driving program at Warrior Ranch this summer.

Staff Sergeant Martinez is the author of “When the Killer Man Comes,” and has been supporting equine activities since he retired in 2014.

Robbie Siegelman has been a Standardbred trainer since 1982 and owned and operated Siegelman Stables for nearly 40 years.

This once in a lifetime experience will give five veterans a chance to learn how to care for horses, how to apply the racing tack and harness and also learn how to drive them on the track.

“As soon as Robbie Siegelman reached out I wanted to sponsor this program,” said Meadowlands Racetrack COO & GM Jason Settlemoir. “It is important to support our veterans and thank them for all they have done for us.”

At the conclusion of the program the participants will have a “Night at the Races” at the Meadowlands Racetrack and have the chance to lead some post parades during the evening.

“We have received generous support from the Meadowlands to begin the program for our first group of veterans,” said Eileen Shanahan, President and Founder of Warrior Ranch Foundation. “We are seeking further support to fund the horses and their care.”

Those looking to donate can visit Donate-original (warriorranchfoundation.org)

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Woodbine’s Racing Night Live Returns Friday, Featuring Thoroughbred And Standardbred Action

When Racing Night Live presented by OLG returns this Friday on TSN, the broadcast will once again, noted Woodbine Entertainment CEO Jim Lawson, have all the angles covered. Literally and figuratively speaking.

Back on track starting Friday, June 18, at 7 p.m. ET, Racing Night Live (RNL), a partnership between Woodbine Entertainment and TSN, will showcase world-class Thoroughbred and Standardbred action from Woodbine Racetrack and Woodbine Mohawk Park, respectively.

For Lawson, it's not just the dual-breed live horse racing offering – seven or eight races over two hours – that makes RNL must-see TV.

“I really loved what we did last year,” said Lawson. “We had become mired in the traditional broadcast of racing, handicapping, and wagering. It was hugely successful, a show that was largely geared to a new fan base and a new audience. The work of our production crew and TSN's production crew really came through in the show. It exceeded my expectations. I looked forward to it every week because it was fun and it was new. It certainly took racing to a new level of fun.”

The idea for RNL was born after Lawson and Christina Litz [former Vice President, Digital Media, Business and Revenue Development with Woodbine] approached TSN with the idea of broadcasting live horse racing on Thursday evenings, a night that is traditionally dedicated to CFL action.

When the pandemic hit last March and live sporting events were eventually halted, including the CFL, Lawson and Litz got their plan out of the gates quickly, reaching out to TSN to find out if there was interest in airing horse racing on their channel.

“Christina and I have a long association with TSN through our time with the CFL,” said Lawson, who was the league's Chairman of the Board of Governors from September 2013 to December 2019. “When it became apparent that TSN wasn't going to have CFL games to show on Thursday nights, I reached out to Stewart Johnston [Bell Media's SVP of Sales & Sports] and told him we'd be ready to go – that was at the time the Premier announced the reopening of the economy, in what was then called Phase 1, on May 27. I asked Stew if he would be interested in airing horse racing. After talking with Stew and Christina speaking with Paul Graham [Executive Producer, TSN], we got the nod to go ahead with it.”

However, like any live TV production, Racing Night Live required support from sponsors to make it happen. Not surprisingly, industry partners OLG, HBPA, and COSA all stepped up quickly as sponsors to help bring the show to life and have committed to return for 2021. The show was also supported by Woodbine partners Pepsi, Kraft-Heinz, DRF and Budweiser.

With TSN's interest, combined with support from key industry partners, the show still faced some unprecedented challenges brought on by the global pandemic.

“TSN saw it as a good testing ground on how to broadcast live sports during pandemic. There were all kinds of procedures and protocols they developed with us. Wearing masks, physical distancing – there were many things to go over and adapt to ahead of that first show. There were a lot of different challenges.”

The day prior to the first show, Lawson sat down with TSN's Brian Williams to discuss how the pandemic had impacted the horse racing industry and how Woodbine would operate live racing to ensure the safety of all participants. The segment was featured the following evening on RNL.

Despite several hurdles to overcome, including navigating a broadcast in the midst of COVID-19, RNL's first show of 2020 aired on June 11, making it Canada's first live sports broadcast production during the pandemic.

“April and May had passed, so there were a couple of months of just nothing in terms of live sports. People were starving for something live. The idea for RNL was mostly spawned because there were no live sports available for fans. We put it together really quickly.”

In racing parlance, the debut proved to be a winning trip, a chance to highlight top-level Thoroughbred and Standardbred racing, open up the sport to a new breed of fan, showcase racing and its community through a human-interest lens, all packaged in an engaging viewer experience.

From having Juno Award-winning Canadian music group Arkells contribute their talents to the first show, to different camera angles capturing all of the on-track action, to the hosts seamlessly keeping pace between the two breeds, to Brodie Lawson presenting a weekly segment called 'Top 5 presented by Pepsi', and a clever and fun way to educate fans about the sport through a segment called “Angles”, RNL resonated with fans at the outset and continued to evolve throughout the season.

“The show took on a new life, bringing a fun experience to viewers. We had never taken that approach before where there was a new target audience. It had a new look and feel to it. I give a lot of that credit to Christina Litz. There was music, up-and-coming bands – it just had a different feel to it. I think that made it a lot of fun, to have the music, and a new, fresh approach. The Top 5 was interesting, not only for newcomers, but for also for people that have been around racing a long time. I looked forward to what music and what band was going to play, what slant the show would have on racing that week. I think it was great.

“Having the two breeds was also fantastic. No one had ever been in the position we are, to have what we do, two breeds racing at the same time. I can't think of any racetrack in the world that can go back and forth on the same show. That was also a great aspect for me. It was interesting to see the two breeds spotlighted in one broadcast.”

Perhaps most importantly, the show cumulatively reached more than 2.4 million viewers, showcasing racing to a new audience in 2020.

“We were able to sell our sport. We spent a lot of time with the jockeys and drivers, in particular, getting people to know them, to hear their stories. Those human-interest stories we did were fascinating and they really resonated with people. That makes our sport more interesting to the consumer. I think we did a good job with that.”

Lawson is eager to tune-in for the upcoming season of RNL, which will feature a total of 15 shows starting Friday. After the first five broadcasts, RNL will have a three-week break for the upcoming Summer Olympics, and then air 10 more shows.

“I absolutely am looking forward to it. I can't wait for that first show and all of our broadcasts this year. I think that everything RNL offers is great for horse racing across the country.”

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USTA Donates $40,000 To Establish New Funding Mechanism For STA

The U.S. Trotting Association announced on May 24 that the organization will donate $40,000 and establish a new funding mechanism to assist the Standardbred Transition Alliance. The $40,000 will come from the USTA's Support Our Standardbreds budget.

In their May 13 meeting, the USTA's Executive Committee voted to make the contribution and establish a new, opt-in option for USTA members to donate to the STA, which will be included on all new and renewal membership applications.

“The $40,000 and the opportunity for our members to make voluntary donations through their membership applications reaffirms the USTA's commitment to the Standardbred Transition Alliance,” said USTA Executive Vice President and CEO Mike Tanner, who initially proposed the establishment of the STA at the annual Board of Directors Meeting in March 2018.

“The STA accreditation process ensures that their approved horse rescue organizations are operated with a professional structure and are accountable for their treatment of the horses, which provides assurance to donors that their contributions will be used responsibly,” added Tanner.

“The more money that can be raised, the more of our retired racehorses can receive the type of aftercare they deserve when they are retired. But besides the donation, there are many other ways that the USTA can promote and support the STA; and we're committed to doing that.”

The STA operates under the guidance of its Board of Directors and is completely independent of the USTA, who previously donated $75,000 in initial funding for the creation of the organization. David Reid serves as president and Jennifer Daniels is the STA administrator.

“The STA deeply appreciates the support of the USTA's directors, staff and membership, particularly in developing this opportunity for members to easily and securely transmit their aftercare contributions as they're submitting other USTA transactions,” said Daniels.

According to its website, “The mission of the Standardbred Transition Alliance (STA) is to inspect, accredit and award grants to approved organizations that acquire, rehabilitate, train and re-home Standardbred horses, using industry-wide funding. The STA is approved as a 501(c)(3) Internal Revenue approved charity and is also registered with the Ohio Secretary of State and Attorney General. IRS application for 501(c)(3) designation was filed in October of 2018 and approved in April of 2019.

“The existing groups are at or beyond capacity. There is a wide disparity in numbers of horses served, services provided, staffing, budgets and other resources. Horse adoption programs generally operate with no oversight and no way for donors to ensure their money is being used wisely. We need additional groups to help Standardbreds across the country.

“It is expected that the accreditation process will elevate the level of both business and equine care practices and identify groups whose work is sustainable and exemplary.”

Donations can be made by sending a check to the STA office at: Standardbred Transition Alliance, P.O. Box 377, Laurelville, OH 43135 or by clicking here.