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_ By Rick Campbell He doesn‘t profess to be a modern day Moses, but Rod Seiling is still hoping to part the red sea this year. Unlike the Biblical epic though, it is the sea of red ink on the books at Elmira Raceway that Seiling hopes will (de)part in 1979. The track opens for a 32â€" date meeting on Friday night, first post 7: 45 p.m. and will continue until Octâ€" ober. Racing goes every Friday and also on Mondays beginning June 18. "‘I feel this is an extremeâ€" ly critical year for the enâ€" tire operation," said u\e 34â€" yearâ€"old Seiling, who sucâ€" ceeded eightâ€"year veteran Harold Schweitzer in the general manager‘s capacity earlier this year. ‘"We want the track to show a profit, but debts from other years still have to be accountet for." Seiling hopes to turn track around For the past two years, L L.i obcommpnnatiedtitpccenaninnnnnnn â€" â€" THE TRACK IS IN TOP SHAPE says Elmira Raceway Manager Rod Seiling. Last year, the season had to be delayed one week because of humps in the track. The 1979 racing season opens on Friday night with the feature race being the Silk Tassle Invitational uninvited bad weather, outâ€" side competition and lack of consistently competitive horses have combined to make for losing and disâ€" couraging seasons. Last year, the average mutual handle hovered at the $80,000 level, with attenâ€" dance averaging 1,500, both down fractionally from the previous year. Monday night racing hung like a millstone around the neck of the overall picture, although to be fair several Mondays last year were meâ€" teorological nightmares. Seiling feels that to atâ€" tract the patrons you must provide competitive racing, and to realize that aim, he and racing secretary Ken Shakes have decided to lower the qualifying times to 2:12 for pacers and 2:13 for trotters. Also, the miniâ€" mum claiming price will be $2,000, eliminating the nags who lugged sulkies around the track worth more they were. _ ‘‘If all the horses are going the same speed, it will be a competitive race whether it goes in 2:00 or 2:12," said Seiling. ‘"*We want to eliminate the ones who legally qualify but don‘t have a hope of coming close in the race. People come here to handicap, they want excitement, competition and fun, and if the field isa‘t competitive, it‘s like watchâ€" ing a hockey game where a team is winning 10â€"1. Strictâ€" ty boring."‘ Purses for opening night total $6,700, up $150 from last year, and the feature will be an invitational hanâ€" dicap sponsored by Mcâ€" Guiness Distilleries, worth Tentative lineup for that race, named the "Gold Tasâ€" sel Pace", includes classy Orangeville campaigners EJ and Dave Collins. Anâ€" other Orangeville veteran, Clure Archdekin is expected to ship for the race, as are Mohawk stars Ron Waples, Mel Corbett and Kent Baker, presently the secondâ€" leading nonâ€"driving trainer at the "big‘" track. *‘*We‘re offering better horses right off the bat than any ~B track around,‘"‘ claimed Seiling. ‘"Our hanâ€" dle will dictate if we can afâ€" ford to continue attracting Unlike previous dyears, when owners and drivers complained about the poor condition of the track surâ€" face early in the meeting, Seiling reports that it is in «"super shape, better than it has been for years. h ‘*All winter long we worked on the outside of the surface and now we‘ve laid the stone dust and got the dips out. If the weather cooâ€" perates, it‘ll be fine." That will be good news for CHRONICLE SPORTSâ€"LINE 886â€"2830 . _ all drivers, including reguâ€" J lars Rick White, Jim Mcâ€" 2 . Clure, Bryan Richardson, . Ross Battin, Ken Ellis and t uh, that blaek and blue â€" Moorefield minftre!, Mike **We‘re also hoping Bud Fritz will come down," said Shakes, who joined the Elâ€" mira staff last July after over two years at Oranâ€" In addition to attracting corporate sponsors, Seiling says the track hopes to go heavy on promotions, inâ€" cluding a media race, NHL players race, and a "Pick 8" contest, where patrons who correctly pick eight winners in a row will be awarded cash prizeg. Should the money not be won, it would be donated to charity. Also in the works are posâ€" sible broadcast and telecast coverage of races. As in the past Elmira will host five stakes, including the Ontario Harness Horâ€" seman‘s Radio Shack fourâ€" yearâ€"old pace and four Onâ€" Rod‘s love second job by John Cole Harness racing is in Rod Seiling‘s blood and now, his second love is his second career. j Seiling has hung up his Atâ€" lanta Flame sweater after a 14â€"year grind in the National Hockey League that saw the underrated defender don the jerseys of the New York Rangers, Washington Capiâ€" tals, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the St. Louis Blues. And Seiling intends to let a slight film of rust develop on his blades, in favour of the fullâ€"time job of Elmira Ra:â€" ceway manager. The Woolwich Agriculture Society announced the hirâ€" ing of Seiling to replace the retiring ljarold Schweitzer in January. "I‘m excited about the whole thing,"‘ said Seiling at the time. "It will be a big challenge."‘ For Seiling, the sport is a family affair. However, his hockey career has overshaâ€" dowed his love of horses in the past. Seiling is no stranger to the harness racing scene. Seiling‘s interest deveâ€" loped about the time he made his jump from junior hockey to the NHL. His father, Donald, and grandâ€" father, Albert, purchased Bardot Hanover, which later became the world champion _ twoâ€"yearâ€"old pacer. Since Bardot Hanover. the Seiling‘s have had a string of winners including Albert Starr. Bardot‘s first foal A halfâ€"brother of Albert Star . General Star . is one of the best of the present Seiling stables. In March. tario Sires Stakes races@ The threeâ€"yearâ€"old filly trot goes July 13, twoâ€"yearâ€"old colt trot Sept. 7 and twoâ€" yearâ€"old filly pace Sept. 28. But the biggee will no doubt be the threeâ€"yearâ€"old colt pace July 27. ' **They‘ll be out for the track record (2:02.1) that night for sure,"‘ said Seiling. **And the twoâ€"yearâ€"old races will be excellent too, since they race here late in the year. The purses for each (OSS) race will be about $13;000." Other bonuses at the track this year will be hot meéals, which will be offered in the main lounge starting artel p.m. every race night, f parking as usual, and can you dig it, a lead pony for the call to the post. Just like the big time. Which is the attitude tiny Elmira Raceway must take if it is to survive in the shadâ€" ow of its bigger brothers. . Sad but true, it hasn‘t any choice. the General posted a time of 1:57.1 at Meadowlands, New Jersey. The present record at Elmira is 2:02.1. One of Donald Sr. horses, Mike Seiling (named after one of Rod‘s sons) is anâ€" other upâ€"andâ€"comer as it finâ€" ished second in a race at Mohawk last week posting a time of under two minutes. Rod stated that he once had a policy of selling th' foals that are born at hi breeding farm near Erbsâ€" ville but he had a particular fancy for one. Albert‘s Dream, the first foal by Albert Star , was born on Rod‘s grandfather‘s birthday, March 17. Elmira might be able to see a Seiling horse perform later this year as there will probably be at least one enâ€" tered in an Ontario Sires Stakes twoâ€"yearâ€"old race in September. At work or at play, horses are always near. But it‘s been mostly work for Rod. On the farm, there is a lot of help from wife Sharon, and sons, Mike, 14, and Brad, 8. A At work, Rod was able tW get a head start on the racâ€" ing season when he was given a leave of absence by the Atlanta Flames late in the regular schedule. "I got a lot of work done here." As for hockey, Rod has deâ€" finitely hung up the skates, even though there have been offers from an Industrial League team, laughed Rod Only predictions remain. "I picked the Islanders." to win the Stanley Cup said Rod. "Whoever I pick goes flying out the window .. tell me who you don‘t want to win and [‘ll take that team _