PROFILE
JOE GORAJEC
How a tough stance cost the former regulator of Indiana racing his job
Joe Gorajec was a no-nonsense executive director of the Indiana Horse Racing Commission for 25 years, during which time his goal was to clean up racing in his jurisdiction. He came to the attention of the racing world with his study of cobalt use in Indiana, resulting in the state becoming the first to adopt a threshold for its use. Some of his critics believe he was too tough, while others supported a man who played strictly by the rules. In the end his uncompromising stance eventually cost him his job.
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WORDS: DENISE STEFFANUS PHOTOS: HORSEPHOTOS, JOE GORAJEc, JOckEy clUb
SK people what they think of Joe Gorajec, the ousted executive director of the Indiana Horse Racing Commission (IHRC), and you will get no lukewarm opinions. Over his almost 25-year tenure in Indiana, the hard nosed regulator has amassed his share of enemies, as well as ardent supporters for his crusade to clean up horseracing. The good guys view 70
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Gorajec as Eliot Ness, the FBI agent who dogged violators during Prohibition; those who hate Gorajec liken him to Hitler’s henchman in a parody posted on YouTube. “Quite frankly, I’m used to people not agreeing with some decisions I’ve made or some recommendations that I made, but those things are just business,” he said. “I’m not butting heads; I’m just doing my job. And if someone feels that their head got butted, then probably they have reasons
to have had that happen to them.” Gorajec and Indiana racing started together. Indiana passed legislation in 1989 to establish the Indiana Horse Racing Commission; in 1990, Gorajec became its first executive director. His job initially was to lay the groundwork necessary to bring pari-mutuel racing into the state, including the lengthy process of awarding licenses so construction of facilities could begin. With that accomplished, Standardbred