Earlier this week Jamie Hachey was appointed President of Horse Racing New Brunswick, and earlier today he distributed an update on standardbred racing in the province.

The update is as follows:

“Harness Racing in New Brunswick has been given a unique opportunity to rejuvenate a valuable sector of Agriculture. When I say unique it is that the model being developed is not for profit and encompasses the entire Province of New Brunswick. All of the revenue we generate or save goes back into the industry. We do not have the pressures of having to sustain the substantial profit margins our colleagues do, who operate for profit in a corporate world. The rejuvenation of our industry will see the re-opening of fair tracks around the Province allowing our youth to develop and hone their skills locally.

The initiative began with the allocation of 150 Video Lottery Terminals to the industry. A task force was assembled in September and through The Department of Agriculture, in conjunction with The Horse Racing Industry Association a diverse group of stakeholders gathered from around the Province. Intense discussions were held over a two-day period with the 40 delegates emerging united. The mandate given was to rebuild this sector of New Brunswick Agriculture.

A working group of nine members developed a strategic plan, the constitution and bylaws for the organization and established a governance model. Once completed Horse Racing New Brunswick was incorporated. Negotiations began with the operators of each of the three existing horse racing tracks in New Brunswick. These negotiations are ongoing.

This week we re-convened the original group of industry stakeholders and reported our progress. Receiving the endorsement of each sector, a Board of Directors was elected. They are; Ian Donald, Andy Sutherland, Ross Galbraith, Clayton McCooms, David Lund, Glen McEwen, Norman Leger, Reg Petitpas, Steve Downey, Howard Spalding, John Breau and myself. Jeff Malloy will be continuing to assist us on behalf of the Department of Agriculture.

I must say it is certainly an honour having been asked to lead such a dynamic group. The initiative has come together at an opportune time, allowing us to draw upon the experience and expertise of the New Brunswick owners of both, Somebeachsomewhere and Shadow Play, two World Champion horses of unprecedented caliber that were developed in the Maritimes.

Imminently we will be meeting with various groups seeking input from horsemen, suppliers and our customers. The infrastructure, financial and human resource requirements of the newly formed organization is presently being evaluated. We anticipate holding a job fair in the near future. It is great to see that this initiative has already started a buzz amongst industry members not living in their home Province of New Brunswick. It is very likely we are going to experience a degree of repatriation.

I would like to thank everyone for their patience and perseverance to date. I do ask you continue to unify the members of our industry. Together we will achieve our goals.

On behalf of everyone at Horse Racing New Brunswick, I wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas.”

(HRNB)