Horse Racing in Canada: Adversity Has Been Overcome Before

Hope springs eternal on this Easter Sunday as three breeds of horse racing across Canada, thousands of racehorses with thousands of caretakers await a return to racing. Horses and horsepeople ready with pent-up energy, ready to spring into spring.

The continued spread of the COVID-19 virus that has decimated businesses and led to 1 million people unemployed in Canada has proven to be the biggest challenge for horse racing that has had more than its fair share of tremendous battles over the years.

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In Ontario in the late 1990s, Woodbine was on the skids when some $385 million was invested to fix up the track, expand simulcasting and start to the transformation of the not-for-profit track into a world class location. Slot machines came, and then went, and when the slots-at-racetracks program was torn away from Ontario racing, the prospect of no Queen’s Plate in 2012 was very real.

Racing groups such as the HBPA and Woodbine fought hard and worked with government to get back on track. But it has taken much of the 8 years to get back on firmer footing after losing many owners and breeders.

Horse racing’s image went down the drain in 2019 when Santa Anita had all those breakdowns, but many tracks put heavy measures in place for vet checks and horse and horsepeople scrutiny. Woodbine was a leader with tighter urging rules introduced in the fall, among other measures.

And just when one of the biggest clean-up of drugs and drug trainers in racing came to the fore when the FBI collected up a bunch of US vets and trainers, corona came to town.

And the virus is proving to be the biggest fight for horse racing of all.

The breeding industry is continuing on, foals are popping up all over this spring and mares are still being bred, albeit the business is starting to slow.

Racing start dates are postponed and while horses in western Canada are mostly at farms, Woodbine trainers have been busy with their stables that shipped in six weeks ago. Good news came on Thursday when the Ontario Racing Task Force got the approval to re-distribute unused purses from race dates that will not be held.

So horsepeople are able to go to work every day, enjoy training their horses just as if it was any other year leading up to opening day – except that the April 18 opening of Woodbine is no longer.

Hundreds of others who work in racing are at home. Frontside staff for Woodbine, Ontario Racing, handicappers and so many more have no work.

We sit and wait and hope.

And it is impossible to know when racing will be able to return. When, if, it does, it will no doubt be without spectators for some time. Social distancing is likely going to be the norm in Canada for many months to come.

Fort Erie is accepting horses and horsepeople on Easter Sunday and its tentative opening date is May 26.

In Winnipeg, the management at Assiniboia Downs are hopeful and have actually set a start date for the season. Its opening day was set to be May 10, but this week the date was changed.

From The Insider newsletter by Ivan Biggs:

Statement from CEO Darren Dunn: “Based on what we currently see is a clear trend of extended timelines related to COVID-19 restrictions and protocols, which we fully understand and respect, we felt it was appropriate, at this time, to reflect this understanding in our live race calendar. As such, we have postponed opening by two weeks to May 24.”

There were six horses on the backstretch at Hastings Racecourse last week and horsepeople left the track when training was cancelled. However, Great Canadian Gaming Corp. (Track Operator) last week announced that it will re-open Hastings Racecourse on May 1 for stabling.

The Track Operator will be working on protocols regarding physical distancing and safeguarding the health of all racetrack personnel in advance of May 1. Details of training/exercise protocols will be finalized in conjunction with the Thoroughbred horsemen’s associations.

The bad news is Great Canadian Gaming says it will NOT hold racing if there cannot be spectators. That is potentially a disastrous path for BC racing.

In Alberta, Century Casinos remains closed as does Century Mile Racetrack , where racing will take place this year should the province give the go-ahead.