by Bill Finley, Harness Racing Update

Fair Haven, NJ — Will Jeff Gural save the Meadowlands?

Gural has emerged as the best bet to keep the Big M open and racing in 2011 as he has emerged as a suitor for the track. Gural, who owns Vernon Downs and Tioga Downs, is hoping to lease the track from the state of New Jersey, but says he believes the Meadowlands can only make it if the existing grandstand is replaced.

Gural’s intention to look into leasing the track was first reported by the Asbury Park Press. In a follow-up interview with Harness Racing Update, he talked in-depth about his plans should he take over and the difficulties standing in his way.

“I have no interest in trying to operate the Meadowlands the way it is,” he told Harness Racing Update. “My only interest would be to build a new grandstand on the other side of the track, a smaller, modern facility, which we would operate the way we operate Tioga. We’d do what we do at Tioga, which is to market it and make it a fun place. I have no interest in trying to figure out a way to run the Meadowlands as it is and make a profit because I don’t think you can. I don’t think it’s the type of place I would bring my girlfriend to if I were out on a date. The place is obsolete and falling apart.”

Gural has told the office of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie that he needs until Feb. 1 to make a decision about leasing the track. He needs that much time, he said, to see if it makes economic sense to build a new grandstand. Gural admitted that Christie, who has threatened to shut down the track after this Saturday’s races, might not give him the time he needs.

To read more about Gural and the Meadowlands situation, go to www.harnessracingupdate.com and click on the Dec. 16 issue.