by Bill Finley, for Harness Racing Update

Fair Haven, NJ — Jeff Gural’s quest to lease the Meadowlands from the state of New Jersey took another positive turn Friday when his first face-to-face meeting with the heads of the unions representing track employees were deemed successful.

“I thought it went very well,” Gural said in an e-mail

Gural led a team of racing representatives that included Tom Luchento and Leo McNamara from the Standardbred Owners Association of New Jersey and Anthony Perretti from Perretti Farms.

A full update on Gural’s meetings with the unions will be included in Saturday’s editions of Harness Racing Update, a free harness racing publication delivered by e-mail. To read the story and to subscribe to Harness Racing Update go to www.harnessracingupdate.com.

The meeting took place in Paramus, N.J. and included attorney Angelo Genova, who is leading the negotiations for the unions. According to Luchento, no numbers so far as pay cuts or possible layoffs were discussed, but Luchento said it was apparent the unions understood that, in order to save the Meadowlands, they will likely have to come to an agreement with Gural that will include concessions.

“I am more optimistic today than I had been, in terms of the union situation,” Luchento said.

“I am very optimistic so far as the overall outlook and what we are trying to get done. The idea is to come to the table and work together for the good of the Meadowlands and for everyone involved. When it comes to that, I think the unions were very understanding.”