THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 4, 1994 TAG: 9408040566
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium: 84 lines
The demise of pari-mutuel wagering in Loudoun County bolsters a Middleburg horse breeder's proposal to build a racetrack in neighboring Prince William County, his lawyer said Wednesday.
But an Ohio track owner disagreed, saying Loudoun residents who rejected pari-mutuel betting improved his chances of winning a license to build a track in New Kent County.
Loudoun residents voted Tuesday against allowing pari-mutuel betting, reversing results of a 1990 election and killing a proposal by Maryland track owner Joseph A. De Francis to build a $55 million track in the county.
The Virginia Racing Commission now is considering five track applications, and James J. Wilson's is the only one from Northern Virginia.
``There's no question that Northern Virginia is the best market for a racetrack under any criteria,'' said Larry Framme, lawyer for Wilson's Virginia Jockey Club. ``It's closer to the horses, closer to the large population and has the most sophisticated wagering population.''
The elimination of the De Francis plan ``strengthens Mr. Wilson's application'' for a track near the proposed Disney's America theme park in Prince William County, Framme said.
Carrie Camp of Virginia Racing Associates, which wants to build a track in Portsmouth, said the location is just one of many factors the commission is considering.
``The commission as a whole has not assigned any weight to location as an issue, and in fact the only issue they've constantly stressed is financial viability,'' she said.
Despite the results of Tuesday's election, De Francis is not entirely out of the picture. If the commission awards the license to Stansley, De Francis will manage the New Kent track and bring horses from his Maryland tracks for a 102-day summer meet.
``Everyone who is knowledgeable about the industry knows you have to have the horses to have a meet,'' said Stansley, who owns tracks in Ohio and Texas.
``The thoroughbred shortage is severe now, but it will be even more severe in two years. What my contract with Joe affords is good horses - the same product they race in Maryland.''
Dr. Jeffrey Taylor, a Covinton dentist vying for the same New Kent site as Stansley, said he did not believe the election result would have any impact on the commission's deliberations.
Jeff Gregson, a spokesman for Churchill Downs, did not return a phone call. Churchill Downs wants to build a track in Virginia Beach.
John Shenefield, commission chairman, said it is hard to say whether the referendum result benefits any of the remaining applicants.
``For those who might have thought Loudoun was the best site, their second choices probably are all over the lot,'' he said.
He said the De Francis application was clearly a strong contender.
De Francis' Old Dominion Jockey Club spent at least $750,000 pursuing the proposal.
``You have to empathize with anyone who spends that much money and time on an application and then has something like this happen,'' said Donald Price, the commission's executive director.
De Francis said he would not challenge the election results, and Price said it would be impossible for De Francis to revive his proposal elsewhere because the application deadline has passed. Any action that would delay the site-selection process would be met with ``all kinds of objections,'' Price said.
The commission plans to award a license by late September.
The referendum result also means betting is off at Morven Park, a steeplechase course that has offered the only pari-mutuel event in Virginia in recent years.
The course near Leesburg included wagering in 1991 and 1992 at its one-day race in October. Because of technical problems there was no betting at the 1993 event, Morven Park manager William O'Keefe said.
``We are disappointed. We had planned to have wagering at this year's race,'' O'Keefe said. ``It increases interest in the races. You care more about the results if you have a little stake in it.''
The steeplechase event will go forward as scheduled Oct. 8, he said.
KEYWORDS: VIRGINIA RACING COMMISSION OFF TRACK BETTING
HORSE RACING PRAI-MUTUEL BETTING
by CNB