Yavapai Downs HANA Meetings; Calling all Arizona Horseplayers

You guys are probably already aware that Greg "Boomer" Wry has been rehired as both track announcer AND director of racing at Yavapai Downs. What you may not be aware of is this: Last week his boss, Gary Striker, extended an invitation for HANA to do a day at the races - date to be determined.

I just got off the phone with Boomer and it looks like the dates are now set. We'll be doing a two day event: Sat August 8, 2009 and Sun August 9, 2009.

Yavapai has promised us a room in the clubhouse and a nice spread buffet free to HANA members on those dates. There'll also be a cash bar if you want to cut loose a little.

While there, in addition to doing a member sign up drive - I'll be meeting with track management from YAV and TUP as well as key decision makers from the AZ horsemen, faculty and students from the U of A Racetrack Industry Program, and (hopefully) members of the AZ Racing Commission.

Want to be part of this?

It's going to cost you...

My goal is to get everybody on the same page... I want to see horseplayers in AZ get full support from Arizona's racing industry and together do a grass roots campaign to get Arizona's ADW law changed. Right now as I type this there are only 27 HANA members who reside in AZ. By the end of this summer we'll need to see several hundred new AZ HANA members if we are to have ANY chance of convincing state lawmakers and regulators to effect change in the one state where it's needed the most.

If you want positive change for racing this is a golden opportunity.

If you haven't already done so, click the sign up link and become a HANA member. And then tell a friend about us and pass on the url. And tell them to do the same thing.

Sincerely,


Jeff Platt

President, HANA

For background on the Arizona ADW Law, which makes taking bets on horse racing over the internet a felony read here.

Arizona Law Makes Taking Account Bets a Felony

Many representatives of the Arizona horse racing industry offered their support for HB2694 during a Feb. 15 state Committee on Water and Agriculture meeting. Among the supporters were representatives of Turf Paradise, Yavapai Downs, the Yavapai Downs County Fair Association, the Arizona Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, and the Arizona Thoroughbred Breeders Association.

With HB2694 now in effect, the ADW companies were forced to close the accounts of their Arizona customers or face felony charges.

If you are from Arizona, or know a horseplayer from Arizona who has not signed up for HANA, please let them know that they can sign up here. Let's work together to make things better for Arizona horseplayers.