The Meadowlands’ ban of driver George Brennan was short-lived.
After speaking with Brennan at Tioga Downs, Meadowlands operator Jeff Gural has lifted the ban.
“I spoke to [Brennan] in the paddock on Sunday and we had a frank conversation and George assured me that his comments were misconstrued,’’ Gural said. “I told him that it wasn’t just me who misconstrued it, that I had gotten a lot of emails. However, he made it clear that he in no way wanted to imply that he supports any form of cheating or anything like that and recognizes that it’s bad for the game.”
The ban was precipitated by a New York Times article that quoted Brennan talking about suspended trainer Lou Pena, whom he often drove for.
“I just know his horses look really good, and they race for a long time,” Brennan was quoted as saying. “They’re throwing this guy to the wolves when the primary objective in this game is to win races. Obviously, someone is out to get him.”
Gural said he interpreted Brennan’s remarks to mean it didn’t matter if Pena was violating any rules as long as the horses won.
“And I couldn’t disagree more with that position,” said Gural. “When you speak to the press, you’ve got to be careful what you say and that it can’t ever be interpreted that integrity isn’t vital because you can’t expect people to come to your facility, especially trying to get new customers, if they think the horses are all drugged.”
Unlike his two New York facilities — Tioga and Vernon Downs, which have racinos — Gural’s only income at the Meadowlands comes from wagering and he wants everyone to know that he works hard to make sure the playing field is as level as possible.
“I watch every race and if I see something I don’t like I pick up the phone and call the driver or the trainer. You can ask,’’ he said. “And I call the judges.”
Gural, who spent summers vacationing in the Catskills in the ’70s and ’80s and had horses at Monticello Raceway, saw Brennan grow up and considers him a friend.
“Both George and I agreed that the chemicals have just become too much and we’ve got to take a step back and get this out of the sport,’’ said Gural. “Medication rules have got to be revised, and George agreed. He said, ‘I wish it was like in the old days where there was none of this.’ ”
With rules changing from state to state it’s difficult for trainers who race in several states to keep track of everything, but Gural has some ideas how to make it easier.
“I’m working on setting up a meeting with all of the regulators from New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania in an effort to see if we can’t standardize the levels,” he said.
“It becomes complicated and it shouldn’t be. There should be one set of rules for the whole industry.”