The horsemen at Fraser Downs have made great strides since earlier this year to express concerns that the 40-year Cloverdale industry was in trouble.
The severe winter weather cancelled several race dates, cutting into a live racing schedule that has been getting shorter every year. In 2010, Fraser Downs had 87 live racing days a year. In 2015, there were 62.
This year, winter storms 鈥� and the havoc they played on the condition of the track 鈥� led to the cancellation of nine race days in total.
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The rough weather and the resulting issues opened a dialogue between (HRBC) and (GCGC) concerning maintenance and the race calendar.
Last week, it was announced that the horsemen would get four race dates added to October, to help make up for the cancellation, and that the track maintenance issues 鈥� such as the fence surrounding the track, which is rotting through in some places 鈥� would be addressed before the start of the fall season.
Carla Robin, executive director of Harness Racing BC (HRBC) said that the horsemen were now negotiating for additional race days in September.
鈥淕PEB (Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch) is behind us on that too because they know the standardbreds can race a longer season than the thoroughbreds,鈥� said Robin. 鈥淲e need a minimum of eight months (of racing) to have a really sustainable industry.鈥�
鈥淭ake a look at what鈥檚 happening back east in Ontario,鈥� she said.
Woodbine Entertainment Group, which operates Woodbine Race Track and Mohawk Raceway has recently decided to take standardbred racing out of Woodbine and .
鈥淣ow, why would you be [running] an industry at Mohawk for 12 months of the year if it isn鈥檛 good for the economy?鈥� said Robin. 鈥淵ou鈥檇 just let them race six months. But Ontario says, 鈥楴o. The standardbred industry is a great industry and it has a lot of economic generation into the community.鈥欌��
鈥淧eople here would love to have the 10 months of racing, like we used to have,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut if we had a minimum of eight, then we鈥檇 have people who are really willing to invest in the industry in the longer term, breed more horses, etc.鈥�
鈥淎t this point there is no discussion about adding more days,鈥� said Darren MacDonald, director of Racing Operations BC, Great Canadian Gaming Corporation.
鈥淭he four race dates were added to give the horsemen a chance to make up the days that were missed last winter. HRBC created some incentive programs to try and attract more horses which gave us more confidence in running three days a week,鈥� said MacDonald.
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HRBC鈥檚 additional incentives aim to bring more horsemen, and more horses, to Fraser Downs. A starting incentive is in place for the fall season to encourage racers to stay the full season and see what it鈥檚 like to race at Fraser Downs. There will be a 10 per cent purse increase as well.
鈥淲ith our incentives, and increasing the purses, those are things to get people here, hang onto their horses and race them here until such time as we can get more racing,鈥� said Robin.
Robin added that the shorter racing season has a negative impact on the local economy. 鈥淭he farmers suffer, the hay suppliers, feed, grain, you name it,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he front side (of Elements Casino) will be closed for five months. There鈥檚 no jobs there for that time.鈥�
MacDonald said that it wasn鈥檛 the shorter season that impacted the casino and business in the area, but rather the extreme winter weather that Cloverdale experienced this past year.
鈥淭he overwhelming factor impacting all of our business lines 鈥� including casino gaming 鈥� was the unusually bad weather we all experienced. Just getting to the site, for both our team members and guests, was a huge challenge, and thus, all of our business lines were negatively impacted,鈥� he said.
The four added race dates to October will fall on Tuesday, which MacDonald said would gain the races at Fraser Downs the most attention from wagerers across North America.
鈥淚n today鈥檚 horse racing industry, the most critical factor for success of a product is large wagering pools, and that only happens if those races are simulcast across North America for wagering purposes,鈥� said MacDonald.
鈥淥ur goal was to find a day where there was very little other racing product available in North America, to try and maximize the size of those wagering pools. Tuesday was the day where we thought our racing would get the most exposure,鈥� said MacDonald.
Getting back on track
Track maintenance issues, which first reported in 鈥溾�� on Feb. 22, are also being addressed.
鈥淕reat Canadian is going to replace the fence and they鈥檝e said they鈥檒l have it done by the end of July,鈥� said Robin.
Serious track training for young horses is done during the summer months, so a construction schedule is being worked out, but Robin expects to see it finished before the fall season starts.
The track will be resurfaced in certain areas, and Robin said that GCGC has bought a new tractor and new equipment for spreading the stone.
Robin also said that a worker has also been hired to fix the stalls in the barns.
鈥淎s we came out of the poor weather the track was much improved and very good at the end of the racing season,鈥� said MacDonald. 鈥淪ome new equipment has been purchased to assist with track maintenance going forward.鈥�
鈥淲e are in the final stages of sourcing out a builder for the new fence, and will be planning on having it done in time for the start of the season,鈥� said MacDonald.
