Joe Drennan
Staff WriterAs the Minnesota Racing Commission is preparing to hear new evidence from the North Metro Harness Initiative on its proposed harness racing track/card room, NMHI and the Minnesota Horsemenís Benevolent and Protection Association, Inc. are trying to work out an agreement.
The racing commission had voted against granting NMHI two licenses that would allow them to move forward with the project, but after hearing that the HBPA was willing to work out a deal with NMHI they decided to step back and see what happens.
ìWe received a proposal from the NMHI people by fax,î HBPA President Tom Metzen said. ìThe two things that are bothersome to me is that we received the proposal a few days prior to the last racing commission meeting and they have been at this for two years. Why is this the first time they contacted us? Now they suddenly want an answer right away.
ìThe other problem I have is I am the president of the HBPA and I represent all the horsemen in Minnesota. To send me a fax and expect an answer on a few days notice is ludicrous. Even if I wanted to agree to the proposal I couldnít without at least a meeting of the board of directors. They shouldnít expect one member of the board to make the decision.î
Despite his problems with the way the HBPA was approached with the offer and its timeliness, Metzen has invited the NMHI group to a Dec. 15 meeting that will have all the board members present either in person or by conference call to present its proposal. As the two sides wait for the Dec. 15 meeting, Metzen suggested NMHI lay out the proposal in writing.
The proposal NMHI originally faxed to the HBPA said that if the harness racing track/card room were built and ìcaused a decline in card room revenues at Canterbury, the diminution in purses caused thereby will be offset by a corresponding allocation of purse revenue from NMHI to the thoroughbred horsemen.î
The proposal went on to say that if NMHI was able to simulcast thoroughbred races, the entire allocation of purses from that activity would then be allocated to the thoroughbred horsemen.
This proposal will be discussed in more detail at the Dec. 15 HBPA meeting.
ìThe problem right now is that if we both agree to it, it is against the law at the present time,î Metzen said. ìWe would want NMHI to go to the legislature and have that changed and we would certainly help to get the laws changed to get the money to come to us.î
Itís not that the HBPA is against NMHIís plans for a harness racing track/card room, they just donít want to see Canterbury suffer any losses after they have worked hard to bring it back to what it is today after a rocky start that saw it go into bankruptcy in its infancy, Metzen said.
ìI canít see us going backwards. Everyone has worked too hard,î Metzen said. ìIf we can see ourselves clear of breaking even at least then OK. Itís not fair to the horsemen in this state, they got us to where we are today and I am not about to sell them down the drain.î
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