An Off-Track Triumph For Hoerdt

While Alberta's Kelly Hoerdt has enjoyed much success on track recording career best seasons in the past few years, the 42-year-old horseman is stretching his passion for the sport off-track

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After word of the struggling off-track betting location The Stretch Pub & Grill reached Hoerdt, he stepped up to the plate to help turn the business around.

Hoerdt says the previous owner wanted to rejuvenate the off-track betting, which had been shut down. The Northlands Park Off-Track Betting Liaison, Jim Reed, put the owner in touch with Hoerdt's longtime friend and horse owner Mike McAllister.

"The bar and restaurant were also failing," Hoerdt told Trot Insider. "We couldn't just fix the off-track betting without fixing the bar and the restaurant so we ended up making a deal with the owner and we got the whole place now."

Hoerdt and his three partners, McAllister, Larry Daniel and Tanis Klemke, each purchased a one-quarter share of The Stretch Pub & Grill in August 2008.

"We didn't open until September 26. We did a month of renovations to really fix the place up and put in a bunch of big screen TVs for off-track betting and for sports so it's kind of a cross between a sports bar and an English pub."

Hoerdt says he and his partners are enjoying their new business venture, which was the first of its kind for each owner.

"We're learning a lot," he laughs. "Some [things] the hard way, but the partnership that we have is very creative and very adaptable. We've had some help from some previous restaurant owners and bar owners to give us some ins and outs, too. So between the four of us it's come together pretty good."

Located in Ft. Saskatchewan, Alberta, Hoerdt says The Stretch Pub & Grill is bringing in 300-400 per cent of the revenue that it was before they took over.

"It's a small town. There are other pubs and bars there but I guess what separates us is that we offer live entertainment every night whether it's a band or a DJ or karaoke and we also have the off-track betting, which none of the other establishments around that town have."

"We've brought in some new clientele. It's been a lot of fun and I wish I had some more time to spend there but during the racing season I'm pretty well locked up racing so I have to depend on my partners to keep things running smooth and they've done a fantastic job. Everybody's very dedicated."

Hoerdt and his cohorts have each played instrumental roles in turning the business around. All four partners have taken on the responsibility of managerial positions at the pub and grill, which is open from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., seven days a week.