On Tuesday, May 24 via the Meadowlands Racetrack's publicity department, the Meadowlands driving colony issued an open letter which conveyed its support for the 'Mecca of Harness Racing' and the efforts which have
been made to keep the crucially-important raceway alive.
A copy of the letter can be viewed here. The contents of the letter appear below.
Dear Members of the Harness Racing Community:
We wanted to express our appreciation to Governor Christie, his staff, Dennis Robinson, his staff at the NJSEA, along with Jeff Gural, Mike Gulotta, Tom Luchento, Leo McNamara and their support team for working together to prevent the closure of the Meadowlands.
A strong Meadowlands Racetrack is vital to the long-term stability and prosperity of the entire harness racing industry and we are committed to helping the new ownership group make this exciting new endeavor a success.
Although purses may be slightly higher elsewhere, we want to make it clear that the Meadowlands has been our home and will continue to be our home base on a nightly basis while plans progress to build a new grandstand and to find ways to attract new and younger fans to our great sport.
Jeff has made it clear that when asked by owners and trainers to appear at other tracks to drive in their major stakes we are encouraged to do so. He believes by everyone in the industry working together to support each other in showcasing our best horses and drivers we can all benefit.
We recognize the major financial commitment that Jeff and his partners are making to revitalize the Meadowlands and are pleased to offer our support and hope others will follow. A strong Meadowlands is good for everyone.
Thank you.
Simon Allard
John Campbell
Yannick Gingras
Mike Lachance
Jim Meittinis
Andy Miller
David Miller
Ron Pierce
Brian Sears
Steve Smith
Tim Tetrick
I can't imagine harness
I can't imagine harness racing without the Meadowlands and I certainly can't imagine the Meadowlands without the best drivers in the game driving there. So it's nice to see the drivers are behind this effort for the good of the game. Now if only the minister of speed would hurry up and come back.