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Monday, Sept. 6
Horse tracks need slots to compete
(This letter to the editor was posted in today’s, Arlington Herald)
The past month has been a time of bustling excitement in the horse racing industry. Besides regularly scheduled races at Arlington, Fairmount, Maywood and Balmoral, horse racing enthusiasts had the excitement of the state fair and the Arlington Million in Arlington Heights.
However, after more than a century of racing prominence, Illinois may soon lose this multibillion-dollar industry because of strict limitations on competition with other horse racing states.
Some people believe the industry is dead. The truth is, horse racing is not dead. It has simply not been allowed to thrive. Those who hear the death knell are sorely mistaken and need only look to other racing states to see vibrant examples of how the sport can flourish.
In states like Indiana, New York and Delaware, purse values can be six times those offered in Illinois. High purses draw Illinois horsemen, as well as their farms and business, to other states. As they leave, so do thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in state revenue.
States with superior racing use slot machines to augment their purses. In those states, the industry is hardly dead; it thrives.
Recently, horsemen have seen their live racing dates slashed, their purses dwindle to embarrassing lows, and their world class talent leaving for greener pastures.
Current legislation that has been written would invigorate Illinois' horse industry by allowing slot machines at racetracks, thus allowing fair competition with other horse racing states that have already diversified with slots.
The Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association and the Illinois Harness Horseman's Association encourage lawmakers to consider all the negative economic ramifications if this legislation is not passed during this fall veto session.
David McCaffrey
President
Illinois Harness Horseman's Association
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Thursday, August 26
Members of the IHHA had a constructive meeting this week with Senate President Cullerton. A few members of the IHHA along with the ITHA were granted some private time with Senate President John Cullerton. During this time, Senator Cullerton reiterated his plans on helping us in the November Veto session. He told us that he understood how important “slots at the track” were to us; he understood when we mentioned guarantees of live racing and the elimination of recapture, etc. He was very complimentary of our lobbying attempts and pleasantly surprised at the united efforts of the entire horse racing industry. The IHHA is keeping the pressure on our Legislators throughout this summer and will continue right up until the General Assembly reconvenes in November. Everyone can help this cause by continuing to call your Senators and Reps and encouraging them to talk to their individual leaders about the importance of a “slots at the tracks bill.”
During these difficult times, it is hard to find any good in our business but the IHHA wanted to give a special thanks to Joe Cassano for his hard work on upgrading the paddock area at Maywood Park. Joe took on a few tasks and single-handedly made life a little bit easier for horsemen. Next time you see Joe, tell him thanks, he deserves it.
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Monday, August 23
Despite lower purses, despite an uneasiness over next year's racing schedule, the Springfield State Fair was again a big hit. This year, for the second straight year, the IHHA provided lunch for all horsemen in the paddock. 44 cases of pop and water were consumed while hungry horsemen powered though 800 hamburgers and 440 hot dogs during the 6 days of racing. Special thanks go out to all who volunteered during the week.
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Saturday, August 21
IHHA 2010 Board Election Results
The following are the results from the IHHA Board of Directors Election which took place today, Saturday, August 21, 2010. Elected were 5 directors to serve terms of 3 years each. The candidates receiving the 5 highest number of votes with 1,582 counted out of 365 ballots cast with 11 void...leaving 354 ballots.
1. Rita Williams (222)
2. Roger Welch (194)
3. Sam Widger (180)
4. Bernie Paul (175)
5. Marty Engel (156)
Other receiving votes were:
Tim Wilson, Jr. (145)
Marcus Miller (141)
Robert Phillips (100)
Todd Warren (89)
Michael Reading (64)
Brian Carpenter (64)
John Price (52)
Congratulations and best wishes to the new directors. Also, at the upcoming August Board of Directors Meeting, Monday the 23rd, the Board will elect the officers that will serve during the 2010/2011 cycle.
Thanks to all members who participated in the election process. It is through your voice and support the IHHA can continue to address and work on those issues of concern to the horsemen and the harness industry.
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