Dunbar On Saskatchewan Purse Split
Standardbred Canada Active Director Carole Dunbar has gone on the record regarding the way provincially-funded purse money is currently being split between the standardbred and thoroughbred industry in the province of
Saskatchewan.
In an article by The Star Phoenix, Dunbar, who is also the president of the Saskatchewan Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association, has said that the split is currently lopsided.
The article states that the Saskatchewan thoroughbred industry receives 72 per cent of the purses, while the standardbred industry gets only 28 per cent. Reportedly, the numbers used to be a little more even, as the thoroughbred industry had received 56 per cent and the standardbred industry 44 per cent.
In regard to whether horsepeople in the province are currently racing horses for profit, Dunbar was quick to the point. "If you were doing it for the money, it'd be a long bloody wait, that's for damn sure," she was quoted as saying.
According to the article, Dunbar realizes that much has to be done in order to get the purse distribution a little closer between both breeds.
"It's a terrible split. It really is," she was quoted as saying. "Unless they come up with more funding, we're kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place."
Marquis Downs will be hosting live cards of standardbred racing this coming Friday and Saturday. To view the results of the draw for each program, please click on the corresponding links listed below.
(With files from The Star Phoenix)
Same story all over the
Same story all over the country. There are still more "big money owners" in the thoroughbreds. They have the stronger pull in political and other circles. Its too bad we cant have at least one group somewhere that is fair. As it is it is all GREED.
Very unfair. Standardbred
Very unfair. Standardbred racing needs help here for sure.
The purse split between
The purse split between thoroughbreds and standardbreds is ridiculous to say the least. One of the excuses I commonly hear is that the thoroughbred handle is much higher than the standardbreds..That is true, but why is it lower. Well one thing I notice is that the local track here in Saskatoon has not spent a plug nickel on promoting the fact that the standardbreds are and will be in town for 8 race nights. No sponsors show up in the programs for regular races. An ad on the last inside page of the program tells everyone that there is live thoroughbred racing all year at a Sports Bar but no mention of harness racing as also being available. Thoroughbred programs were printed in the local paper every race day but not one has been done for the harness races. Excuse from the track was budget cuts. There are some of us who have invested in harness horses here in Saskatchewan to watch, enjoy and bet on. But when I asked the SLGA why there isn't more purse money available to our breed, I was told that the thoroughbred owners needed higher purses because their horses might not run every week. Those of us involved in some way with the standardbred industry here in Saskatchewan as well as other jurisdictions need to stand up and start promoting our own sport more, from ground level up. I would like to think that Yorkton Exhibition here in Saskatchewan has down a good job of working to promote the standardbreds and this needs to rub off on other tracks. The media also has to be educated on our sports. So over the coming months and years lets get at it and do our part. One last note, I also enjoy the thoroughbreds and we need to work alongside them to strengthen horse racing in general. There a lot of jobs at stake here.
Even if we got the split to
Even if we got the split to 60-40, it would sure help us and it would not hurt the T.B.'s all that much to lose 12%!