Multiple graded stakes winning owner, Bruno Schickedanz, is a land developer and homebuilder who has built thousands of homes in Ontario and Texas, but racing is his passion. “You can build an apartment building in a couple of years and it looks great, but you get a greater high in a one minute race.”
He has over 2,000 winners to his name, including three straight seasons (2017-2019) of over 115 victories.
Today, he owns 500 horses and has around 2,950 lifetime wins. He is the single largest breeder in Canada and produced five per cent of the country’s thoroughbred foals in 2018.
For the past three Woodbine thoroughbred meets, Schickedanz silk bearers have been a dominant force. In 2019, his horses made 54 trips to the Toronto oval’s winner’s circle, 26 more than his closest competition. He had the highest number of runners (214) and winners, delivering a 25 per cent win average at Woodbine in 2019. Schickedanz attributes his success to not running his horses beyond their ability which explains why, despite racing 50 per cent more horses than the track’s leading money earner, he is ranked fourth in earnings.
He ranked fifth overall in the 2017 North American win standings courtesy of 118 victories, third (160 wins) in 2018, and fourth (153 wins) last year.
Bruno’s history of claiming and running horses has made him somewhat of a controversial figure at the track, but his sizeable stable can make a trainer’s career.
What are the most critical challenges facing the industry in Canada today?
“Lack of awareness. The entire industry needs to get imaginative and create a serious promotion to build the brand and create a following. The Stronach Group has done more for the industry with their innovations like exotic wagers and The Pegasus than any other. We need more such out-of-the box initiatives that ignite the imagination to create a following for a sport that is dying.
“The kids are the future and we need to do more to attract and entertain them so that they want to keep coming back, plus they bring their parents. Parents are always looking for affordable entertainment options for the weekend and most racetracks have the property to easily include fun attractions like an amusement park, skating, sleigh rides, or even a stable offering horse rides. What about hosting a year-round live horse exhibit featuring 150 different horse breeds? There would certainly be an upfront cost, but that would be offset by the benefits of hosting an excellent draw for locals and foreign visitors while also generating a marketing sensation.
“Illegal and offshore wagering is a serious challenge. Not only does that business fund criminal organizations, but it’s reducing the government’s, racetracks’ and owners’ revenue and is something that we should all be opposing.
“The industry has also developed an unhealthy reliance on artificial funding through casino revenue and real estate. We need to reverse that trend by creating attractions and promoting ourselves to create a following.”
What needs to change about the industry in the next 5-10 years?
“1. Putting horses and the players on the map in a way that the public wants to come and be part of. You can build more restaurants, hotels, and theatres but that doesn’t necessarily mean more people will wager on the horses. Toronto is a huge city – one of the largest and most cosmopolitan in the world – if racing should shine anywhere if should be here.
“2. Get the kids to come out, they bring adults that will look at sports betting while they are there.
“3. There is so much focus on the breeding industry. Give the guys that are racing good purses and they will be able to pay more for horses. As long as the local breeder can sell their horses for more money they will be fine. I don’t think that breeders should be eligible for the breeders awards after they’ve sold the horse. Give the owners the award for the locally bred horse to encourage them to go back and buy from those local sales.
“4. The Jockey Club dictates the rules and has made the breeding game very expensive. Why don’t we have AI? Every commercial breed has been doing it for decades, including the standardbreds.
“5. Roll out the red carpet for the bettors. They are often poorly regarded despite being the bread-and-butter of the sport.”
How can you help affect that change?
“The fact is that owners are nobody in this game. The press is mainly about the jockeys and trainers with very little press following owners. Most owners are thought of as spending their money indiscriminately and not knowing what they are doing, but owners are the stakeholders that are in it for the love of the business and horses.
“Owners don’t really have a say in anything so it’s difficult to say how I or anyone else can change anything.”
Where do you see the thoroughbred industry in Canada in 10 years?
“Toronto is the fourth largest city in North America and it’s growing phenomenally. I think the thoroughbred industry will survive because of the sheer mass of population. I’m not one of those fear mongers that makes it look like the industry is going to die. There is room for different entertainment and betting options.
“I think we’ll survive and there is a good future and over time different strategies will be employed and hopefully some will work out pretty well. An entirely new marketing plan will help build permanent brand awareness and a larger following. Get imaginative about it. Woodbine is doing great things to get people out for Queen’s Plate but there is much more than just those few days of racing a year. We need of find new initiatives that will help get people in on regular betting days.
“The industry has got to keep changing. We have to get serious about how we draw attention and examine how other sports have recreated themselves and are surviving.”
