Struggle for Power at Track Becomes Heated

Actor John Forsythe and businessman Harry Ornest, who are on opposite sides in the attempt to oust Marje Everett as chief executive officer of Hollywood Park, got into a scuffle in the directors’ room of the Turf Club during racing Sunday.

While Forsythe and Ornest wrestled, Everett and one of Ornest’s sons got involved. There were reports that Harry Ornest had Forsythe in a headlock at one point and that Everett, 68, took a swing at one of the combatants.

According to one eyewitness, the younger Ornest was unable to immediately come to his father’s aid because he was holding one of the small Christmas trees Hollywood Park gave away to fans Sunday.

Forsythe said he suffered minor scratches to his head and neck. Everett declined to discuss the incident. “In view of the ongoing proxy fight, she didn’t think it would be appropriate,” a track spokesman said.

Ornest, R.D. Hubbard and Tom Gamel are major Hollywood Park stockholders who are trying to wrest control of the track from Everett, who they say is responsible for Hollywood Park’s cash problems in recent years. Until this year, the track went 3 1/2 years without paying stockholders a dividend. Hollywood Park’s debt reached $100 million before the sale of the Los Alamitos track last year reduced the debt to about $45 million.

Ornest, 67, a former professional hockey referee, is the owner of the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League and with almost 10% of the shares, he and his family are the second largest stockholders in Hollywood Park.

Forsythe, 72, an owner and breeder of horses, owns less than 1% of stock. Forsythe is part of Everett’s strength on the Hollywood Park Operating Co.’s board, which includes Ornest.

The Everett-Forsythe faction on the Hollywood Park board recently sued Ornest, Hubbard and Gamel, accusing them, among other things, of conspiring to take control of the track.

Repeated calls to Ornest’s home Sunday night resulted in busy signals, and a telephone company operator said that the phone had been taken off the hook.

Ornest, who has referred to Everett as a “racing pariah,” has been critical of Forsythe and other board members for supporting Everett even though they own very little stock. The proxy fight has already cost both sides more than $2 million in legal fees.

Forsythe said Sunday’s altercation began when he and Harry Ornest were discussing the power struggle.

“Harry and I got into a talking match, and bad words were said,” Forsythe said. “Then I went to Harry’s table and we began tugging and pulling each other, like a couple of little boys. Then Marje and Harry’s son got involved. The whole thing lasted about a 10th of a round.”

When Ornest’s son tried to intervene, Everett said: “You can’t go in.”

The younger Ornest said: “You can’t keep me out.”

Forsythe said that he would not take legal action over the incident.

“It was much ado about nothing,” Forsythe said. “The whole matter is embarrassing, and it reflects poorly on racing. Imagine, two guys like us getting into a scrape like that.”

Forsythe said he couldn’t recall being in Harry Ornest’s headlock.

“I’m a lover, you know,” Forsythe said. “I don’t like being called bad names, and that’s how it started. Who got physical first? I’d say we were equally responsible.”

Tom Tribolet, a veterinarian, was seated in the directors’ room, a few tables away from where the fight started.

“When I first looked over, I thought somebody was having a heart attack,” Tribolet said. “Then I realized it was a scuffle. Somebody was fighting. The guy fighting with Forsythe didn’t seem like a nice guy.

“It didn’t last long. Forsythe and the other guy had a hold of each other. The other guy (Ornest’s son) was a nasty guy. He was very abusive to Marje. By that time, security people got there. It was an ugly scene, and I’m surprised they (the Ornests) didn’t leave after that.

“I don’t know what it was about, but I was proud of Forsythe. If it had been a movie, a stunt guy would have done that part.”

Trainer Charlie Whittingham, who has been training horses since Hollywood Park opened more than 50 years ago, said he had never heard of a fight in the directors’ room.