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Tom Luchento is president of HHI. He is concerned about the INTEGRITY in racing. That's like a child molester concerned about children's rights.
At this time, horse racing in general, Harness Racing in particular, is TO BIG TO FAIL. The collateral damage involved would be gigantic. There would be dramatic unemployment and loss of revenue to people that nobody even considers to be involved. If the subsidy at Yonkers for example, was removed, racing there would probably cease to exist within a week. That would start the domino effect. It is, however, almost certain to happen due to generational not cyclical factors.
I disagree. Unfortunately, harness racing is much closer to the end than most presume. It won't be long until politicians make a decision that eliminates subsidizing a sport that can not even police itself. All it will take is a big time liberal governor and a big contribution from the animal right's fringe. The states with a big T-bred presence might be somewhat insulated, but states without the revenues of big meets and the deep pockets on the T-bred side will be at risk.
Maybe you should check yourself into the home for the criminally insane! You're just the latest in a long line of idiots who have been preaching the demise of harness racing since Roosevelt closed!
Harness racing, like most things will go through an adjustment period where purses will moderate and track administrations will have to rethink their strategies! 30 and 40 horse stables, which corner the market and are at the forefront of the never ending quest to find new substances to force the animals to go faster than their body's are ready, must be dealt with! Yes, some tracks will definitely fold but a lot have already gone by the wayside. The ones that are in real danger occupy land that is too valuable to investors eg. Roosevelt, Brandywine, Garden State, etc. It is certainly a complex problem but better minds than you and I will figure it out!
