The Canadian Sportsman
Last Call Online
Back To Last Call OnlineOctober 19, 2009
The ORC deserves some major credit for slapping a moratorium on race date reductions, if for no other reason than to stop the madness.
It has become an annual game for many — though, not all — of Ontario’s racetrack operators to try to shave off days every year in the name of cost-cutting.
While I believe the market — namely wagering data — does not support more racing and likely points to less, drastic cuts go against the stated intent of the slots-at-racetracks program.
I believe Great Canadian Gaming Corporation’s most recent position paper had something to do with the Ontario Racing Commission ordering tracks to submit — or in some cases resubmit — 2010 race date applications for no fewer dates than each track was issued in 2009. I don’t know that for a fact, but call it an educated guess.
When Great Canadian spelled out its hope to reduce the race dates at Flamboro (above) from 225 to 80 by 2012, I believe that was the last straw for the Commission. Again, it’s just a theory.
I don’t blame Great Canadian per se. It is a publicly-traded company whose primary responsibility is to its shareholders. Racing is, admittedly, expensive and cannot support itself at its current purse level based on handle alone. Given current industry conditions, Great Canadian is more profitable with less racing. But GCGC also bought into Ontario knowing full well Flamboro had more race dates annually than any harness track in the world. To think they could persuade the ORC to cut that schedule by about 64 per cent was unrealistic.
Besides, despite needing to listen to the market forces, it can hardly be good for the industry at large to have fewer and fewer race dates each year. For sure, the ORC would increasingly have trouble justifying its mandate if tracks were allowed to continue to slide.
While I don’t agree with the Ontario Harness Horse Association’s general stance that the greatest number of race dates possible is the best solution, I give OHHA huge kudos for raising the alarm bell about Great Canadian’s intentions, which to the company’s credit were very publicly stated.
As a side note, the Woodbine Entertainment Group (WEG), too, comes out shining in all of this. They neither actively try to slash race dates to any significant degree nor moan publicly about the high cost of racing and stagnant handle. It proves, again, they are putting horse racing first.
Which makes me I wish OHHA had left WEG alone back in January and focused on the likes of Great Canadian and Winrac. But that’s another blog for another day.
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