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Head of Racing In Md. Is Fired
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"We've all known Tom for a long time," said Richard Hoffberger, president of the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association. "He comes with a fair amount of experience in the racing industry.
"Not to take anything away from [Dragone], but we always knew [he was] working at an unfortunate disadvantage. Tom's seen what's going on here. He's seen what's going on in Annapolis. He knows the players. Someone from the outside, unless they bring a tremendous amount of other ability, is at a disadvantage."
Chuckas also has the support of UFCW Local 27, the union that bargains for track workers.
"He is as fair as anybody I have ever done business with in Maryland racing, and that's with 34 years of experience," said Harry Manley, service director of the union.
Dragone was hired by Stronach to replace Raffetto, a veteran executive who was extremely popular with both management and horsemen. Raffetto was fired by Stronach soon after Magna bought out the remaining interest in Laurel and Pimlico from the family of Joe De Francis.
At the time of Raffetto's firing, Franzone said: "You talk about bad decisions in politics and industry; this is like the Bay of Pigs. That's how bad it is."
Before moving to Maryland, Dragone had worked as an executive at minor racetracks such as Portland Meadows in Oregon and the now-closed Great Lakes Downs in Michigan. The highlight of his brief tenure in Maryland was the restoration of the historic Grade I Pimlico Special for older horses to the stakes schedule, which will be run Friday with a reduced purse of $250,000 and sponsorship backing from the Maryland Lottery.
Hoffberger said Dragone deserves credit "for coming in at a difficult time and working on some tough projects. He does have 100,000 people coming into his facility on Saturday," he said.
