Training at KELYNACK FARM in Milton – Saul McHugh has a training business at Glenn Harvey’s impressive farm (that was a few days ago, now it is 12 degrees Celcius (56 F) and raining – Photo from Debra Rombis
ALL WE WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS…a stable industry
Signs are good we will get our wish
Horsepeople can be confident that there will be horse racing in this province for a long time, said Sue Leslie to Thoroughblog recently.
Leslie, president of the Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association, and many other industry members, has been in regular meetings with Steven Rigby of the OLG, working on a long term deal that can help pave the way for re-growth for one of the province’s most important industries.
“People can be confident in investing in the industry,” said Leslie. “I believe we will get a long term deal, the process is slow, it just needs a bit more of a push.”
The year 2018 marks the end of a five-year plan put in place by Premier Kathleen Wynne to help the province’s tracks and horsepeople and industry members recover from what was an ill-conceived plan by the previous Ontario leaders to halt the slots-at-racetracks program, a partnership forged almost 15 years ago.
While breeders were essentially wiped out and thousands of jobs lost or put at risk, the Wynne government then ordered the industry to be integrated with the OLG which will take over the responsibility for horse racing in the future.
“It’s not going to be SARP,” said Leslie about the horse racing industry going forward. “But while will have a smaller industry, it will be with good purses and a reliable number of racing dates.”
When the bottom fell out of horse racing in Ontario three years ago it was time for the 30,000-plus members to stand up and fight for an industry that is one of the key economic activities in the province. It was a long time coming and almost too late, but in the last two years, members of horse racing industry have done a better job informing the government, and just as importantly, the public about what the industry entails and how important is it.
“We need to let the public know what we do what how we contribute to the economy from the people who work with the horses at the barns and out to the trucks and trailers, feed and tack,” said Leslie. “We need to inform the public and the government how many hands touch the horse and we have done a better job of this recently.”
Woodbine Entertainment Group’s Jim Lawson relates that for living racing, almost two people per horse are needed and in the breeding sector, one person per horse. That calculates into some 30,000 jobs for the three breeds.
His task now as leader of WEG (Woodbine and Mohawk) is to work continue to work with the OLG on integration, which includes expanded gaming, restaurants and theatre on site at Woodbine introducing a new generation of people, the “millennials” to racing and find other sources of revenue to help horse racing grow.
Part of that includes what Lawson says was one of the most important advances for WEG in 2015.
“It was a good year for WEG as far as moving the organization forward internally in terms of a shift in culture. It is about getting people to understand that they need to be accountable, ‘own’ the organization and that ties into relating to our customers who are out stakeholders, the owners, trainers and bettors.”
The challenges for racing remain considerable, one being horse supply. The field sizes, while down throughout North America, were disappointing in 2015 at Woodbine other than in grass races. Stakes events on the main track were hit hard by the lack of horses.
Promoting the turf course at Woodbine is a major goal for Lawson as field size for the surface is considerably larger. And, with the new Tapeta synthetic surface being installed and most of the old Polytrack now removed, the hope is that horses from around the world will continue to invade Ontario and perhaps stick around for the summer.
“We have felt the impact of the uncertainty of the industry,” said Lawson. “Our challenge is introducing a whole new generation to horse racing, let them know its fun to come to races, wager and own a horse and, then the main goal, have them say ‘hey, wouldn’t it be fun to get in on horse ownership.’
CANADIANS ELSEWHERE
FRANK RUSSO’S Old Forester 3yo gelding STILL KRZ won a $30,000 claiming race at Gulfstream on Sunday for trainer Mike DePaulo. The chestnut battled on the pace 3 wide and then moved clear to win by 2 1/2 lengths under Luis Saez. He was 8 to 1.
CANDACE WARICK’s DESERT SUMMER, a 4yo filly making her first start since a Fort Erie run in Oct., won a $6,250 claiming race at Tama Bay Downs on Monday. Steven Cathcart trains the daughter of Wild Desert who was ridden by Bryce Alderson. The filly was 16 to 1.
STILL KRZ gallops to victory at Gulfstream – GULFSTREAM PARK PHOTO
PATRICK HUSBANDS, EMILE RAMSAMMY IN ACTION BOXING DAY
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/20151220/sports/ramsammy-husbands-saddle-up-boxing-day
from the Trinidad Express
EMILE RAMSAMMY and Patrick Husbands will return to Santa Rosa Park, Arima, on Saturday. There will be ten races during the prestigious Boxing Day holiday card and the ace Canada-based Caribbean jockeys will both have seven mounts.
What is interesting to note is that they will both be riding in the same seven events during the 44th and final round of the Arima Race Club’s 2015 Season. And It is not a surprise that they will both be in action in all three Grade I events.
Ramsammy, who has booted home over 2,500 winners in his career and is this country’s most successful rider, will partner Arima Race Club Cup runner-up Transpire in the Gold Cup, the most prestigious open staying race in the country.
And the Barbadian Husbands, who won the last of his five riding titles at Woodbine Race Course last year, will be aboard last year’s runner-up Bergeron Rodeo in the $450,000 contest. Ten top-class horses have been declared to go to post over 2,000-metres at 4.35 p.m. in the Gold Cup, but the consensus is that the day’s penultimate event is a one-horse race.
Bigman In Town has won a record ten in a row in the last 18 months and it will take a brave punter to bet against the two-time Horse of the Year striking “Gold” for the second year in a row with Panamanian Nobel Abrego astride. That courage could come from the Glenn Mendez barn as they will be represented by American-bred three-year-old Lucky Stranger.
This son of 2010 Preakness Stakes winner Lookin At Lucky is yet to face the starter in these parts, but he has a more than respectable record of three wins, a second and four thirds from nine career outings in the United States
