by John Pawlak

Despite the fact their numbers were slightly depleted because of weather-related travel problems, the Board of Directors of the U.S. Trotting Association completed a busy first day of meetings and business at the group’s 2008 annual meeting opening in Columbus, Ohio.

USTA Photo/Mark Hall

Joining Secretary Barb Brooks, left, in the Pledge of Allegiance are Executive Vice President and CEO, Eric Sharbaugh, Chairman, Ivan Axelrod and President, Phil Langley.

At its opening session, USTA president Phil Langley and CEO and executive vice president Eric Sharbaugh made their annual reports to the Board.

Langley observed that the harness racing scene “is kind of confusing right now,” because in some states it is on an upswing, while in such bastions as Ohio, Illinois and Michigan it is currently in the doldrums.

“We have a chance in the states where things are going well to draw new owners,” Langley said. “They can see that you now have a chance to make money as an owner, and they will come.”

Purses in the U.S. rose well past $400 million in 2007, an increase of nearly 20 percent.

Langley also noted that the Association continues to support the work of the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium, and its quest to develop new drug tests and gain acceptance for uniform rules throughout the sport.

He also said that Standardbred Investigative Services, partly funded by the USTA, was being asked to put less of an emphasis on big-event security and more on undercover investigative efforts.

Sharbaugh had a positive report on Association finances, citing a four percent increase in revenues and 10 percent reduction in expenses. He also citied the early success of the introduction of fines and suspensions reports through the Association’s PATHWAY online database, saying more than 1,000 reports were purchased by subscribers in the first 36 hours of their availability.

USTA Photo/Mark Hall

Chairs set empty during the opening day of the Directors meeting due to flight delays and cancellations.

The first general session of the Board was followed by meetings of the Pari-Mutuel and Communications and Marketing Committees. The full board will hear a panel discussion regarding the latest integrity developments in the sport at its Sunday session, and then split into meetings of the Finance, Regulatory, Registration, and Rules Committees later in the day.

The conclave will conclude its meetings this coming Monday, by taking final action on the Association budget and a number of rules and by-law changes they are discussing this weekend.