Thomas F. Luchento was re-elected president of the Standardbred Breeders & Owners Association of New Jersey when the board of directors re-organized after the group’s annual membership meeting on Monday
, October 19, 2009 at the Holiday Inn Conference Center in East Windsor, NJ.
Luchento was a unanimous selection to head the executive board which includes Edward Razzetti as first vice president, Alfred Ochsner, Jr. as second vice president, Mark Ford as third vice president, Anthony Romano as secretary and Dennis Lane as treasurer.
Luchento also welcomed to the board Anthony Perretti, whose Perretti Farms in Cream Ridge is the largest standardbred breeding facility in New Jersey. He fills the position previously occupied by Gary Bergmann.
The board also includes Robert Baggitt, Sr., Robert Boni, Dr. Stephen P. Dey III, Kelvin Harrison, Jacqueline Ingrassia, Mark Mullen and Paul Wojtowicz.
In addition to reports from the chairs of the various SBOANJ sub-committees, both Meadowlands Director of Racing Peter Koch and Freehold Director of Racing Karen Fagliarone spoke.
Koch noted that the Meadowlands planned to open on New Year’s Day with purses at the level they were at when the 2009 meet concluded in August. “I hope to bump up the purses in April,” he said.
Koch indicated that he is looking to add a pair of May trotting series for three-year-olds and has re-positioned the Art Unger and Matts Scooter Series.
Freehold General Manager Howard Bruno and Director of Racing Karen Fagliarone also spoke to the group. Bruno said that Freehold would request 168 dates, racing four days a week, Wednesday through Saturday (trading Wednesdays when open for Monday holidays).
Fagliarone said she has two versions of her stakes schedule prepared, depending on whether or not Freehold’s management elects to accept its share of the Purse Enhancement Agreement funds. A decision is expected by mid-December.
“Peter Koch and Karen Fagliarone have thankless jobs but they have been much more open to the input of horsemen,” said trainer and SBOANJ director Mark Ford. “We are working together to fill the races at Freehold and the Meadowlands.”
Director Bob Boni pointed out that the New Jersey Sire Stakes program is a “still tremendous and a great value” with $200,000 finals at the Meadowlands.
Prior to the SBOANJ annual Membership Meeting, the United States Trotting Association District 12 directors met to present the rule and bylaw changes that are up for consideration in 2010.
Occupying the dais were District 12 chairman John Brennan, horsemen’s representatives Jacqueline Ingrassia and Jeff Gregory and track representatives Alex Dadoyan from the Meadowlands and Chris McErlean from Freehold Raceway along with USTA Executive Director Mike Tanner.
Tanner reported on the accomplishments of the USTA in the past year and a renewed focus on service.
Brennan and Ingrassia were elected to three-year terms and Brennan was re-appointed the chairman.
Those attending the meeting were able to comment and vote on the proposed rules changes. The votes are not binding and the final action will be taken at the annual meeting of the USTA Board of Directors on March 20, 2010.
The proposed rule changes are followed by the action taken at the District 12 meeting:
1. A proposal to amend Rule 6, Sec 18 (15), on page 20, and Rule 6, Sec 23 (14), on page 22, to require the denotation of the use of trotting hobbles where applicable as is required for free-legged pacers.
Source: USTA Staff
ACTION: APPROVED
2. A proposal to amend Rule 7, Sec. 7, on page 24, that would add the microchip as an acceptable means of permanent identification.
“Tattoo/Freeze Brand/Microchip Requirements: No horse that has not been tattooed or freeze branded or implanted with a microchip as authorized by this Association will be permitted to start at an extended pari-mutuel meeting unless the permission of the Presiding Judge is obtained, and arrangements are made to have the horse tattooed or freeze branded or implanted with a microchip. Any person refusing to allow a horse to be tattooed/freeze branded/microchipped by a USTA representative may be fined, suspended or expelled, or further applications for registrations submitted by such person may be refused.”
Source: Phil Langley, USTA President
ACTION: TABLED
3. A proposal to amend Rule 9 Section 3(c), on pages 25-26, to clarify the requirements for defining an acceptable lease or termination of a lease as one that must be signed by all parties (owners and lessees) by amending the rule to read as follows: “Any horse on lease must race in the name of the lessee. No electronic eligibility will be issued to a horse under lease unless an original executed copy of the lease signed by all parties is filed with the association. For purposes of electronic eligibility and/or transfer of ownership, a lease shall terminate at the end of the term or by the signature of all parties.”
Source: USTA Staff
ACTION: APPROVED
4. A proposal to amend Rule 9, Sec 5(b), on page 26, by amending the rule to change the restriction on horses 15 years or older to age 18 or remove the age restriction altogether.
Source: Kathy Ratcliff, Orient, Ohio
ACTION: REJECTED
5. Amend Rule 18, Section 4, on page 56, to provide for the awarding of purse money earned by the offending horse to be given to the unoffending horse(s) with which the horse interfered.
Source: Eric Cherry, Delray Beach, Florida
ACTION: REJECTED
6. A proposal to amend Rule 18, Section 25 (e)(2), on page 60, to eliminate the requirement that a sulky model must have a fork assembly on the outside of the wheel.
Source: Tom Harmer, Evolution Racing
ACTION: TABLED
7. Amend Rule 24, Section 1, on page 71, to change the timing of races from “fifths of seconds” to “one hundredths of a second.”
Source: Eric Cherry, Delray Beach, Florida
ACTION: REJECTED
8. Amend Rule 24, Section 1, to require that all horses are actually timed in a race instead of the current calculation of one length equals 1/5th of a second.
Source: Eric Cherry, Delray Beach, Florida
ACTION: REJECTED
9. A proposal to amend Rule 26, Section 14, on page 78, to provide for the non-racing registration of horses who have previously been registered and identified, but who will no longer be eligible to race.
Source: Terri Mt. Pleasant, Canton, Ohio
ACTION: TABLED
Bylaw Change
Article III, Section 6(c), on page 127—Regarding District Membership Requirements for Candidates for Membership Elected Directors
Option One: Add the following sentence to Article III, Section 6(c): “A candidate for membership-elected director need not be a voting member of the district that he or she seeks to represent. An individual can only run in one district at one time.”
Option Two: Add the following sentence to Article III, Section 6(c): “A candidate for membership-elected director must be a voting member of the district that he or she seeks to represent, as of the deadline for filing petitions to become a candidate for the term that the candidate seeks to serve.”
Source: USTA Board of Directors
Bylaw Change
Article III, Section 6(c), on page 127— Regarding Directorship Requirements For Candidates For Membership and Pari-Mutuel Elected Directors
Option One: Add the following sentence to Article III, Section 6(c): “Any candidate, for membership elected director need not be a voting member in the district that he or she seeks to represent, and for a pari-mutuel director he or she need not be domiciled in the district where the track is located that he or she seeks to represent. An individual can only be a candidate in one district at one time.”
Option Two: Add the following sentence to Article III, Section 6(c): “A candidate for membership elected director must be a voting member of the district that he or she seeks to represent, and a candidate for pari-mutuel elected director must be domiciled in the district where the track is located that he or she is to represent, as of the deadline for nominations.”
Source: Joseph A. Faraldo, USTA Director
ACTION: ACCEPTED OPTION ONE OF BOTH BYLAW CHANGES; REJECTED OPTION TWO
(SBOANJ)