Both Jeff Gural & Brian Sears talk about banning

[Gazoo]

It was confirmed this afternoon that harness racing driver Brian Sears has been banned from competing at three racetracks, the Meadowlands, Tioga Downs and Vernon Downs, which are all owned by Jeff Gural.

“Basically he is not allowed to drive at the Meadowlands period.” Jeff Gural said. “I have not decided about the stakes horses yet, other than that he is not allowed to drive. I guess that includes Tioga and Vernon Downs too. I was wasn’t really thinking about those tracks, only the Meadowlands at first.”

Sears, 46, is one of the leading drivers in the harness racing industry. According to the United States Trotting Association, Sears has 8,829 career victories and $153,761.224 in purse earnings by the horses he had driven. He hails from a family deep in harness racing tradition. His late grandfather, Gene, is a member of the Hall of Fame and his father, Jay, is a prominent owner, breeder, trainer and driver.

In a telephone conversation earlier in the day, Sears confirmed that he has been banned from the three tracks but refused to comment about it at that time.

“I have understood that he is getting a lawyer,” Gural said, “and because of that I cannot comment at this time on the reasons why he is being banned. It may have to wait to come out in court. I have very good reasons and let’s just leave it at that.”

Gural did say he was exploring if he would be able to bar Sears from competing in stakes races too. In many jurisdictions when people make nomination payments years in advance, tracks have had to allow banned trainers and drivers to compete in those specific races only. Gural said if he can ban Sears from driving in stakes races too he would do it.

“I never said anything to him about getting a lawyer,” Brian Sears said. “I just have to do what I have to do. He really feels hurt because I was not willing to race there (Meadowlands) on a regular basis. It’s a shame. It’s really disappointing. I can see his point to a degree but they are racing just two days a week. I don’t want to drive at three tracks every week, that’s not for me. People want my services to drive in stakes races and I enjoy racing in them. It worked out well for me last year and I don’t see why it should not work out well for me this year.

“It’s just a shame that it has come to this.” Sears said.

Apparently both Sears and Gural have had conversations prior to the banning and that Sears was denied being able to drive certain horses at the Meadowlands in advance of the recent findings.

Sears had been a regular fixture at the Meadowlands for many years. While he does most of his driving at Yonkers Raceway, he had been competing at the other tracks on a regular basis for most of their stakes events.

It was just last season that Sears won both the $1.2 million Hambletonian Final with Royality For Life and the $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks with Bee A Magician, on the same day at the Meadowlands.

By Steve Wolf, for Harnesslink.com

[pezz97]

What a joke, Sears Issued a statement



"I am deeply disappointed in Jeff Gural’s recent decision to exclude me from the Meadowlands, Tioga and Vernon.  I am a licensed driver in good standing with the New Jersey Racing Commission, the New York Gaming Commission and all other governing bodies throughout North America.  I have done nothing wrong and have broken no rules.  The only thing I did was say no to Jeff when he asked me to leave Yonkers and return to the Meadowlands earlier this year.

Owners in this game pay a lot of money to buy good horses and pay a lot of money to stake those good horses everywhere including the Meadowlands.  Some of those owners want me to drive their horses in baby races, qualifiers, overnights and stakes.  I’ve spent my whole career working hard to get to a point where owners want to have me drive their top horses.  It’s disheartening that this is an issue."

[RocknRoll]

So Gural is just butthurt that Sears won't drive there regularly...so he's banned. Yeah he's good for the game...

[3 wide and wingin]

Well there goes my betting Market Share on Friday.

I refuse to support in any way the product of a man who bans the best driver in the world for hurting his feelings by not racing at his track regularly.

Grow up Jeffy and let Brian play in the sandbox too.

[Gazoo]

I would love to see Sears get a solid Hambo & Hambo Oaks drive and stick it in Jeffs ass again .....  Could you imagine if Tatker would ask Brian to drive Trixton in the Hambo ? I know if won't happen but I think Gural would have a heart attack if he did.

[jordanjacob]

Jeff Gural has the right of exclusion and can ban anyone he wants for any reason from his facility and has used it in the past on certain trainers. However, if an owner in a paid in stakes event lists a driver where he is paying the staking fee, that owner has the right to list any driver of their choosing providing they have a driving license and are not currently under suspension. Jeff Gural, in my opinion, cannot create any new law and this will go beyond the normal scope of these issues as instead of a driver litigating against the owner of the facility stating the race track is denying him the right of earning a living, the stakes owner has the legal right to employ any driver they choose, and Jeff Gural knows this, and that owner paid a fee for this right. There is a certain talented driver banned from overnight races at Yonkers who frequently wins stakes races there.

Overnight races at these tracks in the grand scheme of things are not important to a top, top driver as the big stakes races. If and when The Meadowlands gets slots this exclusion will hurt but not now.

I wish it didn't come to this. Brian is an exceptional driver.
 

[The Skipper]

I would love to see Sears get a solid Hambo & Hambo Oaks drive and stick it in Jeffs ass again .....  Could you imagine if Tatker would ask Brian to drive Trixton in the Hambo ? I know if won't happen but I think Gural would have a heart attack if he did.

You said he would win both races last year when we were at the Pace and you were right. How can anyone blame Sears he is just trying to make as much as he can while he can and right now and for the past few years that isn't driving at the Big M 2 nights a week. I wonder if Pierce will be next ? 

[pezz97]

I would love to see Sears get a solid Hambo & Hambo Oaks drive and stick it in Jeffs ass again .....  Could you imagine if Tatker would ask Brian to drive Trixton in the Hambo ? I know if won't happen but I think Gural would have a heart attack if he did.

How about winning the Pace hambo oaks and 3 on breeders crown night? That would be even better......

[Jeremy]

Guess he doesn't want me betting any of his tracks because I also bet other tracks.  Oh well.

[careless hal]

The fuehrer has spoken!  He knows what is best and doesn't give a damn whether it is fair or not.  Tow his line or get shafted.  It's no shock to me, given his admiration for the other fuehrer in DC.  I fully understand Sear's position of not wanting to put a 2 day a week track first in driving tasks.  Good luck in your legal battle Brian.

[3 wide and wingin]

The fuehrer has spoken!  He knows what is best and doesn't give a damn whether it is fair or not.  Tow his line or get shafted.  It's no shock to me, given his admiration for the other fuehrer in DC.  I fully understand Sear's position of not wanting to put a 2 day a week track first in driving tasks.  Good luck in your legal battle Brian.

More like Napoleon.

Guy is out of control.

Horseman are all scared to say a word about it though.

After all he bans people for hurting his feelings.

[caveman]

I can't wait to hear Gural's reasons for this ban.....other than....."It's my track, i'll do what i want"

[tonyb147]

Gural is obviously an ass but I still love  Wendy and Jen 

[RocknRoll]

Gural is obviously an ass but I still love  Wendy and Jen 

 

[CyberChamp]

Gural statement:



“I like to think that all that know me in our industry recognize that I have been a tireless advocate for the highest in professional standards and best practices for our professionals and for the horses they drive. I ask that all those….drivers, trainers, owners….who join me in this sport that we love, abide by these standards. 
 
"Mr. Sears and I have our differences over the standards that we choose to apply at the Meadowlands and whether or not he should have been loyal to the Meadowlands rather than move to Yonkers. Back in May, after Andy Miller was injured and David Miller received a concussion, I called Brian and asked if under the circumstances with two drivers out would he come back and drive on the weekends to fill in the void. He said no, which is his right.   
 
"With the beginning of the two-year-old baby races and with our major stakes coming up in July I thought it best that Brian not drive in these qualifiers given his decision not to help out in those circumstances. Candidly, I was quite disappointed when he refused to help out when Andy and David went down with injuries.   
 
"Brian then called me and once again I asked him to come back for at least the last six weeks of the meet and, as I knew he would be driving on Saturdays with all the other leading drivers at either Mohawk or Pocono. I did not think asking him to drive a couple of Fridays was such a big deal since obviously in July he would be driving on Saturdays at the Meadowlands anyway. Brian made some comments to me that I thought differed from my standards as to how to conduct a race meet. In the end he agreed to come over and drive for the last six weeks of the meet.  We asked Brian if it would be okay to let people know that he was coming back so he would get as many drives as possible. He told us that he preferred we did not do that as he would get the word out to the trainers on his own.   
 
"I thought that was the end of it and looked forward to having him back since he is such a talented driver. Brian drove in some qualifiers and on Monday, when we opened the box, I saw that he was only down on one horse. I immediately called Jason and told him to tell the judges to try to get Brian as many mounts as possible so he would not complain. Jason called me the next morning and told me that he saw that Brian was down to drive at Yonkers on Friday and when he called Brian he told Jason that since he did not get any work it did not make sense for him to come to the Meadowlands. 
 
"I was very disappointed but it soon occurred to me that Brian and I had a major difference over the standards that we choose to apply at the Meadowlands, and it would not be in the  best interest of the Meadowlands to allow him to race. I knew I would get heat from many of the owners who use Brian on their stakes horses but I thought I would deal with that separately and probably let him drive as I did not want to hurt any of the owners who spend their money buying yearlings or raising them at their farms.   
 
"The truth is I actually like Brian although I have been extremely disappointed that he chose to abandon the Meadowlands and especially that he would not do me the small favor when Andy and David went down. I remember last year when he won the Hambletonian, I gave him a big hug and congratulated him because he is a great driver. 
 
"Brian called me yesterday but I did not have a chance to return the call as I am on vacation in Colorado celebrating my 50th college reunion with old friends.  Hopefully we can speak next week when I get back and resolve the matter as I was just trying to get his attention and not to start World War III in the industry."


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