A plan for the re-direction of purse money from Georgian Downs to Flamboro Downs was received from Great Canadian Gaming Corporation (GCGC) and has now been approved by the Director.

The approved plan calls for $1 million to shift over the season from Georgian to Flamboro, raising the average daily purse at Flamboro from $57,000 to $75,000, a level more in line with the requirements for a Signature card that is wagered on internationally. With the redirection, the average daily overnight purse at Georgian remains one of the highest in the province, supported by an aggressive stakes program.

Under Ontario Racing Program criteria, racetracks can apply for purse monies to be redirected from the purse pool of one racetrack to the purse pool of another racetrack, where those tracks are owned/controlled by the same company or related companies. The approval of the Flamboro Plan is in keeping with the Director’s decision in February to allow for redirection of purse monies within the Windsor Raceway/Winrac companies (Windsor, Woodstock, and Dresden).

The Implementation and Monitoring (IM) Group reviewed the plan from GCGC and recommended its approval by the Director.

On Friday, April 1, the Director issued an Order to re‐direct a portion of the purse monies held in trust at Georgian Downs.

• GCGC will comply with the monitoring and reporting process as set out by the Director (or the IM Group), which will require that race programs continue to be produced within purse levels designated for Signature level cards.

• GCGC is responsible for informing the Director or the IM Group as soon as they become aware of any issues or concerns that might adversely affect the Program at any of the two racetracks.

• GCGC is to provide a detailed marketing plan with sufficient budget information to demonstrate promotional plans to support the transfer of purse funds, by April 30, 2011.

• GCGC shall provide details on the proposed “substantial” increase to the Georgian Downs stakes program, as referenced in their plan.

• GCGC is to provide the rationale for maintaining the current balance of stakes programs at the respective racetracks, addressing how this balance benefits the Program as a whole and how this works to increase wagering and customer interest between both tracks.

Application for Starter Bonus

In its business case, GCGC also submitted an application to implement a Guaranteed Starter Bonus Program at Georgian Downs in the amount of $200 for any horse that fails to earn purse money in a non-added money event.

However, having reviewed the submission, the Director was not prepared to approve the application at this time. Among the reasons cited for this decision:

• WEG is currently running a Guaranteed Starter Bonus Pilot Program at Woodbine Racetrack during the winter meet to test if a starter bonus will improve the average number of starters by providing financial encouragement to owners to cover a certain level of expenses. It would be premature to allow Georgian’s application until the WEG Pilot is complete in May.

• Earlier this year, WEG had identified some difficulty in attracting the horses required to program a premier racing card four nights a week, and established the Bonus Program to encourage trainers to enter the horses required to fill a Premier card by covering some of their costs. Providing a starter bonus program at Georgian at this time would not allow for a proper analysis of the WEG Pilot.

Currently there is a significant amount of discussion with the horsepeople regarding appropriate uses of the purse money. The Director was not prepared to consider approval of this use of purse at this time until the broader discussion with the horsepeople community has progressed to the point of providing some guidance. Meetings on this matter have begun and will continue in April.

Georgian and its horsepeople are encouraged to take part in that discussion and bring back an application at some future date if the starter bonus initiative proves to add value to the racing program and the horsepeople overall.

The mandate of the IM Group is to implement and monitor the elements of the Ontario Racing Program and to ensure the Program is flexible enough to change, where the need for change is demonstrated and determined to be warranted.

For more information, please contact:

Implementation and Monitoring Group
Wendy Hoogeveen, Industry Development and Support
Bill Fines, Mike Wilson, Rob McKay, Ryan Dupuis, Kerry Wright
(416) 213-0520
[email protected]

To view the Business Case submission, click here.