The Virginia Racing Commission will hold a special meeting on Thursday, June 19 at 10:00 a.m. It will take place in the Horsemen’s Building at Colonial Downs.
Presumably on the agenda: trying to resolve the impasse over the shape of the 2014 season that has dragged on since December and verges on spiking the Virginia flat racing season altogether.
“Multiple proposals and combinations of proposals are being contemplated,” Racing Commission executive director Bernie Hettel told Nick Hahn of The Racing Biz. “It’s the accumulation of a fight that’s been brewing for 4-6 years.”
The Commission has spoken — in groups and individually — to the Virginia Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, Colonial Downs, and state Secretary of Commerce Maurice Jones. The proposals under consideration would allow for a live meet at Colonial and the reopening of the state’s off-track wagering facilities this year — but whether the sides can reach an accord after a dispute that has been something of a roller-coaster ride for both sides remains unclear.
“There have been times where we thought were close,” Hettel said. “Thursday morning we’ll know where we are.”
NOTE: This meeting has been rescheduled for Monday, June 23. Click here for more.
Is this an open meeting?
Yes, it is.