No Colonial Downs/VHBPA agreement yet; VRC allows for three more days to settle dispute

An air of optimism hovered over Monday’s Virginia Racing Commission meeting. Perhaps this would be the day the contract dispute between Colonial Downs and the Virginia Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association would end, thus salvaging this summer’s thoroughbred racing season.

Commission members recessed Monday’s meeting shortly before 10:30 a.m., citing how both sides seemed close and giving the warring parties until 1 p.m. to come to an agreement. Unfortunately, that atmosphere of hope quickly dissipated when the VRC reconvened.

While both sides appeared to deem this morning’s session as “very productive,” matters such as “a need to clarify proposals” and “economic issues” blocked resolution.

VRC chairman J. Sargeant Reynolds Jr. proposed to give both parties three more days to iron out differences and forge an agreement. Fellow commission members agreed.

Now the VRC has scheduled a special meeting for Thursday (May 22) at 10 a.m. Commissioners stopped just short of applying the “drop dead date” label, but stressed that time is growing short for scheduling a summer thoroughbred meet.

“Racing for 2014 is looking pretty bleak,” said Reynolds. “If we do not have it, the future of Virginia horse racing looks pretty bleak.

“At some point there needs to be a drop dead date,” he said. “The Virginia Racing Commission’s goal is to have racing in 2014.”

VHBPA executive director Frank Petramalo Jr. pushed for the VRC to “direct Colonial Downs to tell you in a few days when [the racetrack] will run the 25 days you ordered in December.”

“I’ll takes that under advisement,” Reynolds responded.

Reynolds also said the VRC is “very limited at this point” regarding consequences the body can impose on either party. Levying fines or revoking a racing license are “slow, painful processes” and ultimately mean that no racing takes place, he added.

“Right now,” I’m not ready to wield an ax on one side or another,” he said.

New Kent Board of Supervisors members Thomas Evelyn and Ron Stiers sat in on today’s meeting and expressed little confidence in the two sides coming together to stage a summer meet. The absence of a meet coupled with Colonial Downs’ off-track betting parlors being closed to thoroughbred wagering by state law due to the dispute has cost the county $402,000 in revenue.

“I didn’t see a whole lot,” said Evelyn commenting on the day’s proceedings. “Hopefully they’ll come to some agreement out of this. We’re dependent on horse racing in New Kent and so is the whole state of Virginia.”

Stiers, whose district encompasses Colonial Downs, took aim at the VRC.

“I agree with the [VRC] chairman, but I fault the commission,” he said. “At the last meeting, they said [May 19] was the drop dead date and drew a line in the sand. Now they’re saying never mind, we’ll draw another line in the sand.

“I fault the commission,” he added. “This is something they should have done three months ago.”