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General Category => Harness Racing => Topic started by: Cashout on August 11, 2025, 03:54:00 PM
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The Real Jeff Gural showed his true colors in the winner’s circle of the Hambletonian. While being interviewed in the winner’s circle after the race he offered special thanks to the trackman for having the track in the precise condition that Sarah Svanstedt wanted it. Anybody else trying to pull this off, what do you think Jeffey would be saying. The same guy who constantly accuses and condemns people, is the guy who doesn’t think him having an advantage over the other nine owners and trainers is wrong. My guess is he won’t go on 60 minutes shooting his mouth off about using his position at the Meadowlands to tilt the odds in his favor.
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The Real Jeff Gural showed his true colors in the winner’s circle of the Hambletonian. While being interviewed in the winner’s circle after the race he offered special thanks to the trackman for having the track in the precise condition that Sarah Svanstedt wanted it. Anybody else trying to pull this off, what do you think Jeffey would be saying. The same guy who constantly accuses and condemns people, is the guy who doesn’t think him having an advantage over the other nine owners and trainers is wrong. My guess is he won’t go on 60 minutes shooting his mouth off about using his position at the Meadowlands to tilt the odds in his favor.
i also thought that was pure ignorance. having the track ready the way your trainer and horse likes it . how is that fair to the rest of the field ? pulls the shoes off and digs the track up deep just in favor of his own horse in the hamiltonian . then brags about it on national TV after he runs off in 50 . another slap in the face to harness racing . complete shit show
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Can that gay blade weenie wacker general manager of the meadowlands please clarify what went on here
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https://www.horseplop.com/index.php?topic=81305.0
this new thread is 9 days late and 6 threads short
the above is just one
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New article in the paulick report brought it to mind
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Can that gay blade weenie wacker general manager of the meadowlands please clarify what went on here
ngc3
You should know you spend enough time at same MM gloryhole!!
Bustout the peanut butter and jealous lowlife.
What do you care, what's your stake in anything horse racing related other than logging in here and making an ass out of YOself! ;D
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Trigger I knew a jerkoff like you would have chime in. Just make sure you don’t lose your place in line at payday loans
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Trigger I knew a jerkoff like you would have chime in. Just make sure you don’t lose your place in line at payday loans
ngc3
You know about everything, pay day loans too, wow. Why, how much do you owe, did you bounce? ngc3
ZERO invested in racing - is YOU!
You're not even high enough up to smell Gural's farts.
Gural can go fuck off too, give him his casino, let's see huge purses and better regulation, and let him stfu! ;D
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Gural and Settlemoir come off looking very bad in this report. Nobody will buy the excuses. Especially NJ. I think he ruined the chances of a casino. State can't have someone like him at the controls of a racetrack let alone their north jersey casino.
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I think it was meant to be a joke that came off very poorly and was definitely at the wrong time. It was cringeworthy when I heard him say it! He's not known for his sense of humor.
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Gural and Settlemoir come off looking very bad in this report. Nobody will buy the excuses. Especially NJ. I think he ruined the chances of a casino. State can't have someone like him at the controls of a racetrack let alone their north jersey casino.
Let’s not get carried away. The horse still had to win the race. I read the article and you can be upset with Gural if you want to, but there is little here for me to think this would be a reason he wouldn’t get a casino license.
https://paulickreport.com/features/keeping-pace/keeping-pace-a-watered-down-scandal-after-the-big-race
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I think it was meant to be a joke that came off very poorly and was definitely at the wrong time. It was cringeworthy when I heard him say it! He's not known for his sense of humor.
He's becoming more like us.
He's angry and frustrated.
I'm sure he feels stabbed in the back because he must lay out plenty of money that failed with politicians too.
In the end it's only a hobby for him despite it being a big business to the rest of us.
He's got billions in redundancy, and properties that far out succeed in appreciation the maintenance, taxes..
I want clean racing and big purses, to get it I'll give anyone the benefit of the doubt that will promise it.
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Let’s not get carried away. The horse still had to win the race. I read the article and you can be upset with Gural if you want to, but there is little here for me to think this would be a reason he wouldn’t get a casino license.
https://paulickreport.com/features/keeping-pace/keeping-pace-a-watered-down-scandal-after-the-big-race
Casinos can't have a perception that people in charge will use manipulation to tilt things in their favor. There are a lot more eyes on these comments (and his simutaeous involvement as a particpant ) than some may know.
The single most important factor on hambletonian day is shoes on shoes off and track maintenance. It's decidedly huge
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There is no way he was serious. Get a grip people. This is cancel culture behavior.
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There is no way he was serious. Get a grip people. This is cancel culture behavior.
He was completely serious. The track condition with a barefoot trotter is very obviously a major factor. What part of what he said was funny like a joke or not serious? They did manipulate the track to accommodate a barefoot trotter. That's a fact. The excuse is they did it cause so many trainers asked for it. Not just his own.
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There is no way he was serious. Get a grip people. This is cancel culture behavior.
Casinos can't have a perception that people in charge will use manipulation to tilt things in their favor. There are a lot more eyes on these comments (and his simutaeous involvement as a particpant ) than some may know.
The single most important factor on hambletonian day is shoes on shoes off and track maintenance. It's decidedly huge
Serious or not, Dementia or not, he didn't invent the expression that we all know but still go - the house always wins.
Otherwise Sherlock's and excuser's go find evidence of something other that what can be considered a joke or innocuous.
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What do you think he would be saying if another owner wanted some kind of advantage over him
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You’re right about that Trigger
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What do you think he would be saying if another owner wanted some kind of advantage over him
There is nothing wrong with an advantage in itself, just means you're smart and resourceful and talented.
Why can't you write what you mean to say?
Fucking dummy! ;D
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Trigger I saw your picks on the T Bred thread last week. If I was you I’d be pissed off all the time also
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I agree he shouldn't have said that, joke or not. But keep in mind plenty of trainers pull shoes on that track.
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Lost in all this discussion is that Gural owns just 10% of the winner. On a hot, sunny August afternoon, the track needs water. Still, his comments were way out of line, and I imagine he wishes he could have expressed himself differently.
I also think the perception that certain trainers benefit from favoritism, is absolutely true.
Btw, just to give you an idea how unimportant this industry is, I asked “ Alexa” the day before the race, when and where the Hambletonian would be. This AI source of so many instant answers, had no idea. That, my friends, is a sad commentary on harness racing.
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Trigger I saw your picks on the T Bred thread last week. If I was you I’d be pissed off all the time also
0/3 today too. One more t-bred at Presque in and then 15 harness races to look at.
I compartmentalize my life, losing / winning has nothing to do with here and this.
I want to be around intelligent people not the teacher of stupid.
I don't want anyone to fail.
Unfortunately the truth sounds odd to people, they're only used to hearing the good.
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Jeff is one of the greats of our sport. What he's doing with the Meadowlands is amazing. And how he aided Tioga after that big barn fire was heroic. tmbz1
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Trigger I saw your picks on the T Bred thread last week. If I was you I’d be pissed off all the time also
ngc3 ngc3 ngc3 ngc3 ngc3 ngc3 ngc3 ngc3 ngc3 ngc3 ngc3 ngc3 ngc3 ngc3 ngc3 ngc3 ngc3 ngc3 ngc3 ngc3 ngc3 ngc3 ngc3 ngc3 ngc3 ngc3 ngc3 ngc3 ngc3 ngc3
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Jeff is one of the greats of our sport. What he's doing with the Meadowlands is amazing. And how he aided Tioga after that big barn fire was heroic. tmbz1
Hi pigeon sister, thanks for thinking about me, more than your own well being!
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I think Gural's comment was meant to be in jest, and and it ended up exactly the opposite. It came across to me as flippant. Should he have said it. Absolutely not! Was it a mistake? Absolutely. JMO.
Anyone who thinks there was an intentional, misuse of authority, control, or an effort to "cheat" or whatever you want to call it, in order to give himself an advantage, is IMO just wrong. It's already been said that Svanstedt did ask track officials to make sure they watered down the surface. However, so did other trainers. Track officials have already stated they did not respond to one person's request. Gary Wolff also provided complete commentary on this. As Cohen said in the article, Wolff doesn’t sound like a guy in the middle of a conspiracy, does he? Settlemoir has also has provided complete commentary on this and provided a list of trainers who requested the same thing. They announced in the paddock that the track was being watered down.
Gural has also responded. He acknowledged that, “the only request Sarah made was to water the track so it’s not as hard as a rock.” IMO they watered the track as part of the normal course of business and in response to several trainers requesting it. Not just one and certainly not just one who happens to train for Gural.
All that said, it was still wrong for Gural to say it. His comment created a wrong, and poor appearance. The optics and the ears are bad. Gural did something very wrong and now should make it right.
I take Steve Stewart's comments to heart, and I agree that Gural's comments were (as Stewart said) “inappropriate” and “disappointing.” However, I also agree when he said (from the article):
“Jeff Gural has always pushed for integrity and honesty in racing, efforts which I have applauded loudly and which I have defended,” said Stewart, “and now he's announcing to the national network audience that he had his trackman suit the track to his own trainer’s wishes?”
However, I do not agree that is what Gural announced. Will some read it and hear it that way? Sure. Perhaps because they want to. But I don't think that's what he announced. Regardless, as I said, it was still wrong! Period.
Stewart, as well as other stakeholders, have said that an acknowledgement from Gural-----that he messed up, along with a pledge to dissolve perceptions of favoritism-----must be part of making this right. I agree.
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25,000 word post. we have discovered the source of hot air causing global warming.
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I agree he shouldn't have said that, joke or not. But keep in mind plenty of trainers pull shoes on that track.
Who pulled shoes that day other than Svanstedt?
Onajetplane did.
Since you say plenty did, can you name another 3 or 4?
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Burke did on MM's who won earlier.
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Who pulled shoes that day other than Svanstedt?
Onajetplane did.
Since you say plenty did, can you name another 3 or 4?
they did mention a couple of others other than NC and MMsDream
Ake pulled them at least one other that lost
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they did mention a couple of others other than NC and MMsDream
Ake pulled them at least one other that lost
Ake pulled them in race 3 and won in a form reversal with live money.
Point is l. Majority of horses with shoes pulled were from the same barn.
They say all these other horsemen wanted the track saturated along with Svansdetd. That's their defense. I just happen to not buy the story. Many others dont either.
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amazing that Sarah tells M1 track maintenance how and what to do
Gural had a slip of the tongue shedding light on how it truthfully played out
he was a on a natural high and was drunk on adrenaline
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amazing that Sarah tells M1 track maintenance how and what to do
Gural had a slip of the tongue shedding light on how it truthfully played out
he was a on a natural high and was drunk on adrenaline
I agree with this 100%
It wasn't done as a joke or in jest. It was done cause he was excited and emotional which gave him a dose of truth serum.
All that doesn't matter to me though.
What matters is that the track man is employed by gural. And gurals trainers contacts the track man and requests the track be manipulated a certain way to accommodate the way a barefott horse's performance is maximized.
What is that trackman supposed to do? Say no? To his employers trainer? He can't do that. At the very least he should never be in that position.
I can't say it enough. No way can 1 man be bigger than the industry. Track owners also acting as active participants is sure failure.
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So he had the track so it favored his horse and then snuck in a pacing bred trotter to horrify the blue bloods ? I love it.
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I agree with this 100%
It wasn't done as a joke or in jest. It was done cause he was excited and emotional which gave him a dose of truth serum.
All that doesn't matter to me though.
What matters is that the track man is employed by gural. And gurals trainers contacts the track man and requests the track be manipulated a certain way to accommodate the way a barefott horse's performance is maximized.
What is that trackman supposed to do? Say no? To his employers trainer? He can't do that. At the very least he shouulesld never be in that position.
I can't say it enough. No way can 1 man be bigger than the industry. Track owners also acting as active participants is sure failure.
absolutely that's what happened
he was high as a kite and just blurted the truth out like a drunk-no inhibitions
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Who pulled shoes that day other than Svanstedt?
Onajetplane did.
Since you say plenty did, can you name another 3 or 4?
That is not what I said. I said nothing about that day in particular. I said plenty of trainers DO pull shoes on that track. That track being the Meadowlands.
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So he had the track so it favored his horse and then snuck in a pacing bred trotter to horrify the blue bloods ? I love it.
He only owns 10% I don't think he calls those shots but it is possible
the "blue bloods" don't seem to mind the crossover anymore--they saw what Hans did with Googoo Gaagaa and now he has been standing in Sweden for at least a handful of years-it appears they don't mind the pacing blood(Cams Rocket?) mixing with their trotting bloodlines
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Alot of trainers pull shoes for big races , the bone of contention is him manicuring the track surface to how his horse likes it. All this nonsense that he made the comment in jest is a bunch of bull
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He only owns 10% I don't think he calls those shots but it is possible
the "blue bloods" don't seem to mind the crossover anymore--they saw what Hans did with Googoo Gaagaa and now he has been standing in Sweden for at least a handful of years-it appears they don't mind the pacing blood(Cams Rocket?) mixing with their trotting bloodlines
If I am not mistaken there were two Googoo Gaagaas in the Elitlopp this year, which is a feat.
Mixing pacing & trotting blood certainly seems to have its place. Back in the days certain sires regularly produced trotters and pacers both with some talent. Who can say exactly why it works, but maybe in part, trotters nowadays are so good-gaited that if you pepper in some of the inherent speed of pacers, you can hit paydirt.
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Alot of trainers pull shoes for big races , the bone of contention is him manicuring the track surface to how his horse likes it. All this nonsense that he made the comment in jest is a bunch of bull
But, any horse without shoes is going to want a soft surface, not like it was manicured for NC and NC alone. He should not have said that, 100% agree with you, there, though.
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If I am not mistaken there were two Googoo Gaagaas in the Elitlopp this year, which is a feat.
Mixing pacing & trotting blood certainly seems to have its place. Back in the days certain sires regularly produced trotters and pacers both with some talent. Who can say exactly why it works, but maybe in part, trotters nowadays are so good-gaited that if you pepper in some of the inherent speed of pacers, you can hit paydirt.
Back in the days… we saw a lot of trotting bred pacers. Screw ups at the breeding farms ??
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Pacing bred trotter Six Day War is the horse that started to put Mark Ford on the map to financial freedom..
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Pacing bred trotter Six Day War is the horse that started to put Mark Ford on the map to financial freedom..
Six Day War was a top level horse-great memory tmbz1
I did not know Ford was involved
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it was ray scihiktner
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Pulling shoes is a pretty common move at many tracks....
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It’s so obvious separating the horseman from the degenerate gamblers. ALL horses benefit from a good track condition. No such thing as getting the track ready for one horse.
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Jeff was the topic of most conversations both at the track yesterday and later at some well known restaurants in Lexington.
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People here don't like when you confuse the issue with facts.
Wasn't he both trotting and pacing at different times?
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it was ray scihiktner
Ford bought him from Ray with the last 10k to his name.. the rest is history.!!
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Hebrew track owner knew what he was saying
Just put his foot in his mouth
M
He cheated and admitted to it
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Hebrew track owner knew what he was saying
Just put his foot in his mouth
M
He cheated and admitted to it
If ya ain't cheatin, ur not tryin.!!
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This thread is providing alot of info , the world now knows that Lucpark is an anti-semitic lowlife scumbag
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If ya ain't cheatin, ur not tryin.!!
tmbz1 tmbz1 tmbz1
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This thread is providing alot of info , the world now knows that Lucpark is an anti-semitic lowlife scumbag
tmbz1 tmbz1
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This thread is providing alot of info , the world now knows that Lucpark is an anti-semitic lowlife scumbag
Just a note of informtion for you.
We consider it bad form for any member with fewer than 100 posts to play the "I'm a Hebrew. Look at me!" victim role.
We acknowledge the Jews of HorsePlop are God's chosen. We don't ask much in return.
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Back in the days… we saw a lot of trotting bred pacers. Screw ups at the breeding farms ??
A lot of trotters will pace if shod right (and some will pace pretty regularly in warmup, just like a lot of pacers if not hobbled will trot). I think it's less common for a pacer to trot at speed.
I think it's great to get some new bloodlines in the mix on the trotting side, in any event.
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Actually I’m not a hebrew but if Lucpark feels the need to express himself like that he should start his own thread
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This thread is providing alot of info , the world now knows that Lucpark is an anti-semitic lowlife scumbag
Always has been! tmbz1
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Just a note of informtion for you.
We consider it bad form for any member with fewer than 100 posts to play the "I'm a Hebrew. Look at me!" victim role.
We acknowledge the Jews of HorsePlop are God's chosen. We don't ask much in return.
ITS PROB A HEBREW FROM NY CRYING
AND THE WORD HEBREW IS NOT A SLANG WORD ITS IN THE BIBLE ..
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Actually I’m not a hebrew but if Lucpark feels the need to express himself like that he should start his own thread
THKS FOR READING ALL MY STUFF ITS A APPRECIATED ngc3 ngc3
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A lot of trotters will pace if shod right (and some will pace pretty regularly in warmup, just like a lot of pacers if not hobbled will trot). I think it's less common for a pacer to trot at speed.
I think it's great to get some new bloodlines in the mix on the trotting side, in any event.
I owned a really nice trotting mare (she was by Great Lullwater) in partnership with Ben Webster. As a first try at breeding we picked a mediocre NY Sire. Ben's father (Fay upstate between Buffalo & Batavia) broke the horse and at 2 he reported that the horse was a "natural trotter" put could switch to the pace and once he did, could give a decent burst of speed. In any event, trying to make a long story shorter, I made the dumb breeder's mistake of naming the horse after my son. He evolved (this is early 1970's) into a horse who could reliabily trot in 2:08 and pace about 2:04 on a half mile track. I wound up seeing a lot of great old racetracks like Hinsdale Raceway, Green Mountain (thank you Billy Silk), Batavia, Buffalo, Monticello and finally Freehold (where I first met and became friends with Anthony Abbatiello). After all that I donated him to a "school" that Lou Miller ran at RR for prospective trainers/drivers and also owners who wanted to be closer to their animals. He started me out, as most do, mucking out stalls etc. and after 4 months I was able to take my donated horse out on the track and did some 2:15 miles at both gaits with him. It helped me enormously as a future owner of some reasonably good trotters. As I learned more about breeding I discovered that the "mediocre" sire we had sent him to threw quite a few pacers (albeit he had a solid trotting pedigree going back for 5 generations.) I also learned to stay away from the breeding business ;>>)