Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Gural Wins Messenger Award

November 6, 2006

Jeffery R. Gural, who persevered for more than two years to return Vernon Downs to life and converted former quarter horse track Tioga Downs, near Binghamton, New York, is the winner of Harness Tracks of America’s Messenger Award for 2006.

The Messenger, HTA’s highest honor, goes annually to an individual or organization for outstanding and meritorious service to the sport. It is named for the English Thoroughbred who founded the harness breed in America. HTA’s Executive Vice President, Stan Bergstein, cited Gural's dedication and huge personal investment in resurrecting Vernon and rebuilding Tioga.

"He overcame every obstacle thrown in his way," Bergstein said, "and they were frequent and plentiful. He succeeded in both projects by persistence and by expending a huge amount of his personal fortune in restoring Vernon to live racing, and creating a model small track in Tioga."

Gural, a longtime owner and breeder in harness racing, is chairman of Newmark Knight Frank, a full service commercial and industrial real estate firm that manages some 150 buildings in the New York City area. He is chairman or a board member of more than 15 philanthropic groups.

The Messenger award will be presented to Gural at the Nova awards dinner during the joint HTA-Thoroughbred Racing Association meeting at the Westin Diplomat in Hollywood, Florida, Sunday night, March 11.