Well, while I know phystech is involved in racing in MD and TBfan may be, it's hard to argue with John Franzone (Chairman, MD Racing Commission), Richard Hoffberger (Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association President) and Alan Foreman (Councel to the MTHA) and their view.
Franzone:
Franzone said that when he heard Raffetto was going to be fired, he called Frank Stronach, chairman of Maryland Jockey Club, which runs operates Pimlico Race Course and Laurel Park, and pleaded with him to change his mind.
"I called him and I said, 'Frank, this is without a doubt the dumbest decision you will ever make, and you guys have made a lot of dumb moves,' " Franzone said. "Everybody likes Lou. Lou is liked down in Annapolis. I'm not saying he can run a slots parlor, but we've got an excellent racing program and the horsemen love him.
"I said, 'Not only that, Frank, you guys have such a bad reputation with turnover, you will be sealing your fate with this slots license.' And he doesn't listen. I said, 'Frank, Magna is losing about $25-million a quarter, and Laurel and Pimlico break even. Why don't you send your henchmen after the guys losing money?’ "
Foreman:
"I think it's the biggest mistake involving Maryland racing since I've been in the industry here," said Alan Foreman, general counsel to the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association. "Lou Raffetto gave credibility to Magna that it lacked otherwise in this state. It is a tremendous blow not only to Magna but Maryland racing. "I have no clue as to why this was timed the way it was, handled the way it was, and why it happened. I am astonished and disappointed by this whole thing."
Hoffberger:
Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association President Richard Hoffberger ripped Magna for firing Raffetto, sarcastically comparing the company's plans for the Maryland tracks to the struggles at Gulfstream Park.
“It appears they're developing a plan that is as successful as what they have at Gulfstream, where they took a wonderful winter meet and developed it into one of the worst race books on the East Coast," Hoffberger said. "Their reputation is bad because they haven't been successful. Everything they're doing runs contrary to what the industry believes is the right thing to do."
Andy Beyer weighed in this morning as well in the Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...112902073.html
And if you didn't hear
Matt Hegarty of DRF on 'ATR' last night, I'd invite a listen. He explains, as Beyer does, that Magna stupidly interprets Raffetto as a Joe DeFrancis holdover.
http://www.thoroughbredracingradione...,29/Itemid,35/
In fact, as DeFrancis himself said Wednesday, bringing in Raffetto may have been the best thing he had ever done in his tenure at the head of Maryland racing. Stronach, in his bumbling, hapless way, defended the move yesterday explaining he wasn't happy with the financial progress of Pimlico and Laurel. But as Raffetto points out, the reality is that the MJC was doing better than anticipated by MEC.
http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/nat...nach-says.aspx
If you were 'unhappy' with how Lou Raffetto treated horsemen, a somewhat indefensible position to start with in my opinion, just wait... At least he knew where the backstretch was. It is at least appropriate that a company that operates in its' own Fantasyland tabbed Chris Dragone as Raffetto's replacement... When he worked at Monmouth years ago, his widely used nickname was 'Dumbo'.