I’ve hit on a brilliant idea to combine my love of politics and thoroughbred racing. I want to be Ron Geary’s campaign manager. Oh, I know that right now he’s interested only in making a go of it at Ellis Park. But he has demonstrated such leadership since buying the little track in Henderson, Ky., that the sport desperately needs him in a much more powerful job.

He would be such a huge improvement at Churchill Downs that Bob Evans could go back to making sausage or whatever he was doing before his godfather, Richard Duchossosis, foisted him upon the track’s inept board of directors.

Or how about the presidency of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, the organization that exercises about as much leadership as a radish. Under Geary, the NTRA might actually do something meaningful to help the sport build up its fan base and bring the various factions together.

Why, heck, if the U.S. Congress gets involved to the point of forcing the industry to name a national commissioner to take care of business that the industry has been ignoring for years, Geary should get serious consideration.

He’s a radical, I admit. Instead of shutting down Ellis Park, as he had announced he must do, Geary actually sat down, listened to the horsemen, and – get this! – agreed to their demands. You read that correctly. It was right there in The Courier-Journal last Sunday: “Owner yields to horsemen; short-term agreement signed.”

When The Sausage Man read that, he had to barf up his breakfast because, you see, compromise is not in Churchill’s vocabulary, much less the concept of actually giving up your position for the long-term, common good.

Nope, rather than respect the horsemen as partners, Churchill would rather slash purses and file lawsuits. It’s insane for a race track to be at war with the folks who put on the show. Ron Geary recognizes that. So he met with the horsemen and agreed that Ellis’s races would be available to the 10 account-wagering companies with which Geary had made deals, including TVG and Churchill Downs Inc.’s TwinSpires.com.

In return, Geary would give horsemen the entire share of account-wagering handle – about six per cent – that he normally would split with them. That money would go into the purse fund.

Although Geary admitted that he’ll lose money this year, he also pointed out that the deal will enable him to offer bigger purses, which in turn should attract better horses, more fans, and more simulcast wagering on Ellis races.
Furthermore, said Geary, he supports the horsemen’s effort to get more money from account wagering, but couldn’t negotiate with the account-wagering companies because he’s hamstrung by agreements in place when he bought Ellis from Churchill two years ago.

The horsemen, as represented by the Kentucky Horsemen’s Benevolent Protective Association (HBPA), said they want a third of the revenue, but believe the account-wagering companies – not the tracks – get an unfair proportion of the revenue.

A word here about account wagering.

This is simply the outgrowth of the idea that William H. King invented and introduced at Louisville Downs, his harness-racing track on Poplar Level Road, in the early 1980s. King called it “Call-A-Bet.” It was a marriage of the telephone and the relatively new phenomenon known as cable TV.

The way it worked was that bettors would put money into accounts at the track. Then they could call in bets and watch the races on TV. At the time, it was far too revolutionary for the thoroughbred folks, which have historically reacted to new ideas with the speed of a glacier.

Now Call-A-Bet – its descendants, at least – is at the heart of the national dispute between tracks and horsemen. It’s a growth area in an otherwise stagnant gambling market, and everybody wants as big a piece of the action as they can get.

I don’t know if William H. King and Ron Geary ever met, but each would have recognized in the other a kindred spirit. Like King, Geary believes in good working relationships with the horsemen and putting on the best show possible for the fans. Also like King, he’s an entrepreneur, but not a greedy one.

So now Ellis Park will open for business on Friday, and Geary is hoping that state and local government will help him make up for the five days of racing lost due to his negotiations with the horsemen.

“That would help me,” he said.

He shouldn’t hold his breath, though.

Just because Geary has demonstrated something important about leadership, it doesn’t mean anybody in Frankfort is paying attention. In other words, don’t expect to see Governor Steve Beshear and Senate President David Williams locking arms and singing “Kumbaya” together anytime soon.

Likewise, don’t expect the operators of TVG and TwinSpires.com to suddenly turn into diplomats. They care only about the bottom line, and they don’t want to give up a nickel to anybody unless they absolutely must.

So you see why I want to be Ron Geary’s campaign manager. In an industry that desperately needs courageous and enlightened leadership, whether it admits it or not, Geary could be a godsend.

Keep checking this site for the announcement that “Ron Geary for _________:” campaign buttons are available at a race track near you..