Horse Racing Ends as Marquis Downs will be permanently shut down. Casino Lives On

March 17, 2021 by Leave a Comment

Saskatchewan’s horse racing community is in shock after Saskatoon’s Prairieland Park announced it is permanently cancelling horse racing [in Canada].

“For Prairieland to shut the future of horse racing in Saskatchewan down is numbing,” said Eddie Esquirol, president of the Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protection Association and the owner of 30 race horses.

“There’s 500 people involved in the industry.”

Esquirol said 40 to 50 per cent of people in the industry in Saskatchewan are Indigenous.

He said people are going to be forced to relocate to Manitoba or Alberta if they want to continue with horse racing.

“It’s a real gut punch for the horse racing industry in Saskatchewan,” said trainer Anita Gardipy.

Gardipy’s family has been training horses for many generations.

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Single-game betting worries Canada’s horse racing operators

March 12, 2021 by Leave a Comment

“Horse-racing wagerers that would access fixed-odds betting will move away from the Canadian parimutuel pools,” said Woodbine Entertainment Group CEO Jim Lawson. “This will dramatically cannibalize the Canadian horse racing industry’s market share, and these operators would earn their revenue without contributing to the substantial cost of producing our content.”

Canada’s legislators are looking to pass an amendment to the Criminal Code that would legalise single-event sports betting in the country.

Single-game betting is currently illegal except in horse racing, and betting on other sports is more centered around several games at a time. Bill C-218 was proposed by Conservative MP Kevin Waugh and would allow gamblers to bet on single games in other sports. He also says it should help with illegal gambling.

While horse racing operators tentatively support the bill, they released an address to the Government where they asked to ensure the horse racing industry and its 50,000 jobs would be protected.

Another concern is fixed odds. Generally, odds in horse racing fluctuate until the horse leaves the starting gate. If other operators, such as casinos, start accepting wagers on horse races, it’s more than likely their odds would be fixed, which might make them more appealing to the player.

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Little Racetrack expecting big business out of the gates from online horse betting

June 16, 2020 by Leave a Comment

So, what betting handle total will Edmonton’s Century Mile hit next Sunday when the track reopens with no fans onsite?

I’m putting the over-under at a million dollars.

You should know that the average handle for thoroughbred racing in the inaugural season at Century Mile last year was $172,422 and the high was $838,429 for the Canadian Derby.

A million dollars?

Are you getting cash rebates on your wagers and live in the U.S.?  Find out more info from agos.

The key appears to be something called HPIbet.com.

If the Edmonton track can replicate the phenomenal success story of Assiniboia Downs in Winnipeg, it’ll be a bigger story than whatever stories the horses and jockeys managed to write on the track in the 10-race card being put together to launch the season during the pandemic.

More about Century Downs:

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Horse racing is about to officially return to Woodbine

June 4, 2020 by Leave a Comment

Wager on WoodbineTORONTO — Woodbine Entertainment made the announcement that it will resume live horse racing this weekend. [Opening day is June 6, 2020]

That means harness racing will resume Friday at Woodbine Mohawk Park, with thoroughbred racing beginning Saturday at Woodbine Racetrack.

Racing at both venues will go without spectators and only essential personnel. Each track has implemented strict health-and-safety protocols.

“The horse-racing industry supports tens of thousands of jobs throughout our province, making the return of live racing this weekend very meaningful for many people,” Jim Lawson, the CEO of Woodbine Entertainment, said in a statement…

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News that Queen’s Plate will run on this Date

May 20, 2020 by Leave a Comment

North America’s oldest continuously run horse race [the Queen’s Plate] was originally scheduled to take place on June 27 but was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The history of The Queen’s Plate is so rich and the fact that it’s been held every year since the inaugural race in 1860 is remarkable,” said Woodbine Entertainment CEO Jim Lawson. “We are honoured to be able to continue this rich history in face of adversity by hosting the race for the 161st consecutive year.”

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Horse Racing Could Return to Woodbine in June

May 5, 2020 by Leave a Comment

“We’ve had 1,100 horses on the track every morning for two months now and we haven’t had any cases, knock on wood.”

TORONTO – Jim Lawson is cautiously optimistic there could be live horse racing as early as next month.

Buoying the Woodbine Entertainment CEO’s optimism is the Ontario government’s gradual easing of COVID-19 restrictions Monday, allowing some mostly seasonal businesses to re-open. The novel coronavirus pandemic forced the suspension of harness racing at Woodbine Mohawk Park in March and postponement of the April 18 start of Woodbine Racetrack’s thoroughbred campaign, and subsequently the $1-million Queen’s Plate.

Woodbine via WO FB pageBut Lawson sees the Ontario government’s actions as a sign that racing could return in early June ahead of other sports entities because it could be done safely and without fans. While the pandemic forced all major sports to shut down, harness racing continued without spectators before being suspended.

“The big proviso is we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves, governmental and health authorities because that’s the wrong thing to do,” Lawson said. “But I do think if restrictions are eased, we’ve shown and exhibited already we’re capable of doing this.

“Not only did live racing occur at Mohawk without gatherings but with what we’ve achieved in our backstretch the last two months, we feel comfortable we can conduct safe racing. And when you combine safe racing with 15,000-20,000 people whose livelihoods really depend on this, we feel we’re a good model to help kick-start the economy.”

While no racing has occurred at Woodbine Racetrack, Woodbine Entertainment has continued operating its backstretch providing daily care for approximately 1,100 horses. Access has been limited to essential personnel – no jockeys, agents, trainers or media are allowed – and those individuals must strictly adhere to guidelines entirely consistent with those established by government and health agencies.

“We don’t need stands and it’s not like we have players rubbing against each other,” Lawson said. “There’s physical distancing by definition.

Some of the measures implemented by Woodbine include …

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Century Mile the horse racing future in Edmonton

April 29, 2019 by Leave a Comment

Bye, bye Northlands Park. Hello happiness.

For several years, horsemen have been unhappy campers at the century-long home of horse racing in Edmonton. But not now. Not as they get ready for Opening Day of a new era of horse racing.

The first-ever thoroughbred race card at Century Mile goes to the post Sunday afternoon at 1:45 with high hopes of good times ahead for the industry.

“We all saw Northlands deteriorate to the point it was beyond sad,” said trainer Tim Rycroft, a veteran of 30 years on the track including a lengthy spell at Toronto’s Woodbine until returning to his hometown 13 years ago.

“You could tell the writing was on the wall. Nobody seemed to care there toward the end. It was once a really nice thriving place with a proud tradition,” he said of the track that once owned the title of being the per capita betting capital of the horseracing world.

“They were just letting it slide into the abyss,” he said.

“I loved it at Northlands Park. It was a great racetrack. Over the years it just deteriorated and deteriorated and the horsemen were told one B.S. story after another. It became terrible the way the horsemen were treated.

“They let the barn areas go to hell. Instead of fixing bathrooms and stuff their idea was just to slap a piece of plywood on the door and put up a big closed sign.

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Hastings Park 2019 Changes On Tap

December 26, 2018 by Leave a Comment

More Friday Night Live cards and earlier start times on two of the biggest days of the year: these are two major changes to the 2019 live Thoroughbred racing schedule announced by Darren MacDonald, general manager, Hastings Racecourse & Director, BC Racing.

“We’re excited about the adjustments” MacDonald said. “The 2019 season will encompass 52 live racing dates beginning Sunday, April 21, running through to Sunday, October 20.”

The popular Friday Night Live 7:00 p.m. cards have been increased to eight, beginning on July 19 and continuing on consecutive Fridays through August and concluding on September 6.

“It’s a concept that was introduced several years ago to attract a younger demographic and it has worked beyond our expectations,” MacDonald said. “Racing under the lights at Hastings has become a favorite destination on Vancouver’s entertainment scene.”

Historically, the two most popular dates on the local Thoroughbred schedule are BC Cup Day and BC Derby/Oaks Day that stand out as “can’t miss” attractions when Hastings showcases the best of B.C. racing.

Hasting Park logoIn 2019, start times for both will be moved to 12:50 p.m., one hour earlier than in past years. BC Cup Day is set for the Holiday Monday on August 5; BC Derby/Oaks Day goes Saturday, September 7.

Two Monday evening dates – August 19 and August 26 – will be part of the Hastings schedule on dark days during the 2019 PNE Fair.

A month-to-month breakdown of the 2019 race-day season includes three dates in April, eight in May, nine in June, July and August, eight during the month of September and six in October.

MacDonald said the 2019 stakes schedule will be released in January. The regular 2019 racing calendar is available on the Hastings Racecourse website at www.hastingsracecourse.com

Source: Press Release

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Fort Erie Race Track took cash offer to keep horse racing running

November 14, 2018 by Leave a Comment

In the aftermath of the announcement from the province that slot machines would not be returning to Fort Erie Race Track, more details have begun to emerge that paint a clearer picture of what happened.

According to Jim Thibert, CEO of Fort Erie Live Racing Consortium (FELRC), the driving force behind the decision to turn down the slots deal was that, as presented, the deal didn’t secure the long-term viability of horse racing in town. Without that, Thibert said the entire slots deal was moot.

“The Ford government reinforced the No. 1 caveat being: No horse racing, then no slots,” said Thibert, who noted the entire horse racing operation in town would have been in jeopardy of collapsing after …

Fort Erie Race Track took cash offer to keep horse racing running.

StCatharinesStandard.ca Full coverage: Fort Erie Race Track took cash offer to keep horse racing running

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Turf Racing a Main Ingredient in this spectacular Woodbine of the future

April 20, 2018 by Leave a Comment

Tommy Massis relaxing back home at Woodbine

Sandwiched between Pearson International Airport and an industrial area north of Toronto sits Woodbine Racetrack, a 700-acre property of sprawling, green paradise. It is easy for frequent visitors to take the landscape for granted, but Woodbine’s sheer size dwarfs even that of its closest North American rival, Belmont Park.

Source: Turf racing a key ingredient in this spectacular Woodbine of the future

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