Jean Larose, the General Manager of the now defunct Hippodrome d'Aylmer, has written a passionate plea to horsepeople across the country to fund initiatives to save Canadian harness racing
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The contents of Larose's letter appear below.
TO RACE OR TO BET
The standardbred racing industry as we stand is at a very dangerous crossroads. The Québec racing industry has gone under with the help of their provincial government and very bad direction from its owners (Attractions Hippiques) and racing association (ATAQ) but the fact remains that racing is on artificial respirator with the government slots or VLTs all across Canada and the States.
When our industry was at its apex as a monopolistic gambling venue we were like the government casinos. We did not have to be good at att racting clients nor did we have to be shy about it. So the tracks were charging entry fees, clubhouse fees, etc.We also heard all the nice stories about big bundles made by the horsemen on the betting pools at that time. So the gambling clients of the time were going to the tracks because it was the only legal gambling. New clients were not sought actively because we were a monopolistic gambling enterprise and the place was full.
So when the governments started looking for additional revenues they naturally went to the gambling venue (voluntary taxation) with lotteries, VLTs and casinos. It is never a good thing for an industry to find itself in competition with the government and that’s we got. The Québec government had decided at the outset that it wanted VLTs in the bars and restaurants of the province to maximize its revenues all across the province. That was the beginning of the end for racing because the racetracks tried to survive with the pari-mutuel betting revenue against the Loto-Québec activities. It was a no contest and all the tracks were closed for a while in 1995-1996. The government knew from then on that racetracks could not survive on pari-mutuel betting alone.
This is the challenge of the moment for Standardbred racing and we have to raise to the task with a coordinated approach of all the participants of this industry. Standardbred Canada has shown its interest in solving the problem, it is a national organization and should be funded to do the research and development. I myself having being in the management of Hippodrome d’Aylmer at the start in 1996 as a financial officer and at the end in 2009 as the general manager, was exposed to the problem in our day to day operations.
It is very costly to bring new clients to a racetrack and when you do, what often happens if you do not separate the visitors from the regular clientele is as follows: the new client sees the race as nine horses leaving the gate and going in file and at the end one or two horses separate themselves from the field and you wait 15 to 20 minutes for the next race. Or he goes to the teller to bet and gets yelled at by the next in line for being too slow to call his wager when he doesn’t really understand how to bet. So the traditional pari-mutuel gambling revenues will not get us across this hurdle. We have to imagine new ways of attracting the clients to the tracks and it has to be show oriented. The new clients and the young people must see the racetracks as a fun place to go.
As an example: a portion of the purse account could be set aside at each program for the development of a new owner and new clientele program in which the clients would put their name to participate in a draw for the ownership of the racing revenues of a certain horse for a certain date. The draw would cost each participant a set entry fee and the proceeds of the draw would return to the purse account. The new owners would get access to the paddock and the winner's circle for that day and some of them would get interested in becoming a real owner and it is at this stage that they should be supervised in order not to get themselves in trouble.
There are thousands of other ideas to be brought forward in order to bring back this superb sport to its former glory but there has to be a game plan and I think Standardbred Canada should be given the funding to do the job with a joint task force that would see people of all trades put their heads together to get a standard approach to the presentation of our sport from Newfoundland to British Columbia. When you go to a Tim Horton’s in Canada you always get the same look and coffee even though the stores are not the exactly the same size and do not offer all the same variety of products.
Help must also be given to the Quebec horsemen in order the bring back racing in that province because if one of us falters we all get weaker and our adversaries (the government officials) see it.
Thank you for taking the time to read this text and rest assured that I will always try to help the sport since I enjoy owning young horses and my two sons have their trainers and drivers license.
everyone has some good ideas
everyone has some good ideas but as we all know the problems we face are much more deeper than what is being said.firstly,having owned and helped train horses the first timers at the windows dont get the picture of racing....from the start of the day at 700a.m. til the end of the race day at 11 or 1200p.m.(midnight that is).they only get to see the finished product.it all boils down to enticing them to come back again and again. secondly, the industry has had so much negative publicity that anyone would be turned off to go and spend his or her money at a place where everyone cheats.thats what they been told for fifty years and they believe it.has anyone ever wrote recently at how the industry is trying to be cleaned up?of course not!in every newspaper around is a daily column of whatever sport is in season at the time.horses are the sport all the time but you never read or see anything on t.v. about it unless you know where to look being an avid fan.people dont know about the score or hpi.lets try and get our industry known for the good things it does like the the driver challenges, benefit races, etc. this might help!
Why don't we try this.
Why don't we try this. Instead of all of the slot money going into purses, let's take half of it and put into the betting pools instead. No take out for the track on that portion. You could take this money and create some really interesting betting opportunities. Big payoff pools would attract those crowds the industry claims to be seeking. I know the purse money would not be as rich for the horsemen, but we're all trying to work together to create some excitement aren't we?....come on, we really are are, aren't we? Maybe not. I can hear wallet cramp setting in already among the owners, trainers, drivers. Well OK then, we'll just stay home and let y'all have your fun for as long as it lasts.
The current state of this
The current state of this industry also has to do with the number of racetracks that remain in existence in Ontario despite the introduction of simulcast racing. For the longest time the Ministry of Agriculture used to provide operating subsidies to many of the smaller racetracks. Having worked at a half mile track back in the mid 80's for a couple of years, we had alot of excessive operating expenses on purpose because the management knew if they ever ran the operation like a business and started to turn a profit, they would lose the subsidies.
I don't know if those subsides still exist today but I do know that Clinton, Dresden, Goderich, Windsor, Sarnia, London, Grand River, Woodstock, Flamboro, Georgian Downs and Kawartha Downs are the tracks that need to be seriously examined for a possible consolidation of the industry. I know that many of the these smaller tracks are only seasonal but with the simulcasting opportunities available these days it appears that the existence of these tracks are only spreading the already thin resources of quality horses and drivers, thinner.
I don't think that closing all of these tracks are the answer but I do think that Ontario needs some serious geographical/regional realignment. Tracks like Rideau or Sudbury don't have the concentration of racetracks around them that the southern part of the province does so those tracks would probably be beneficial to keep open. Anybody else agree, disagree or have other suggestions regarding the number of tracks in Ontario?
I agree that we have to get
I agree that we have to get the public interested in this wonderful dying sport,never been a owner, just a lover and gambler, but to get the novice involved we have to do something extraordinary again, make someone see and love this sport, don't know much about the takeout except they take 2 MUCH OUT.
Let the drivers be associated with the public a lot more often.
Let the trainers and owners become aware of the people that make this happen.
Lets get some drivers and horses from all venues race in races in CANADA and U.S.,which by the way that is what happens in windsor all the time.
Let some of the novices get sweatshirts on both sides of the borders for a horse they like, so they can go to the track and root for them and the sweatshirts tell who are the new kids in town, offer some of these people a chance to get a picture with there favorite drivers and or horses, even if the people are at the T.V.S instead of the tracks, which by the way we really have no choice because of 9/11 no one is going to get a passport to watch a race on the other side of the border.So give them something to root for even it is on the screen.
Make a race for the new kids in town and give them a chance to participate in winning like us old gamblers, have a drawing say for a race and let 8 or 9 people get a picture with a horse they have drawn, pay off up to the normal 5 places and those people get a prize according to place finished in the race, starting with something better for 1st and a little less for 2nd and so on til the 5 the place horse, and those people will be playing them horses with those sweatshirts on when you do that again, and that isn't going to cost a lot, and I bet if you do this often they will come back again and again, all this isn't going to cost a lot and look at the attention it will bring,just a idea, better than nothing huh
In reply to I agree that we have to get by tom gazdecki
I DISAGREE: Funding per say
I DISAGREE:
Funding per say will not do it!
On Sunday I took a neighbor to Flamboro Downs for his first time at a race track. Right from the get go our problems were there for all to see. When the horses are called to the track the one horse was on the gate the two horse was 1/8 mile behind and was passed by the three horse! The drivers, grooms, trainers and judges are killing the industry with their attitude and actions. No respect for the patrons, themselves nor our industry. No discipline either.
We have been allowed to operate like a pig farmer in bankruptcy.
We deserve the mess we are in as we have lacked leadership, responsibility, marketing and a planned future program of where we want to go and how we will get there.
The ORC gives out licenses like Santa and does not monitor the progress nor lack of it.
There must be set standards to meet each year as well as a probationary license until a set standard has been reached.
There should be a point system like an auto license. Dozens of licenses should be pulled as they are a license to rip off owners.
Most horse people would have a difficult time spelling integrity much less know its meaning.
I am in my 80th year and been around horses for 77 years, also owned and ran a successful busness for 40 years.
We need a commissoner similar to the NFL, NHL, NBA and we could be just as successful if we join together and follow a plan. Thanks, Bud Burke
I have been part of harness
I have been part of harness racing since 1955 as an amateur, bettor, owner, breeder, handicapper, director of ATAQ and a writer in the local French newspaper here in Ottawa-Gatineau and in some different racing publications.
Harness racing is over in Quebec and is not quite honky dory elsewhere in Canada and in the U.S. We all know that without the slots the industry could not survive here in Ontario and abroad. There are so many reasons why the industry is dying that I do not really know where to start from. I couldn't agree more with the person that stated that the backstretch and paddock areas should be more open to the public. Harness racing always have been ran behind close doors and that is the main reason why we're so frequently asked: ''Is it true that harness racing is fixed? I can recall on a week-night at Rideau Carleton where my horse was entered to race, I was refused access to the backstretch and paddock area because my unlicensed co-workers where accompanying me after work to a fun night at the races. I can also recall the night my wife had to wait in the car outside the paddock at then Blue Bonnets one night that my horse was entered to race. The horse was registered to my name although the money to pay the monthly training bills came out of a joint bank account.
In the late 90's in a period where I had no ownership, the Quebec racing commission granted me a service supplier license so I could be able to enter the backstretches in order to fulfill my duty as a racing columnist, but to my great displeasure the ORC denied me such a license through its field rep. I wrote the ORC pleading my case and to this day my call remained unanswered. I then had to stop writing the positive material the industry needed so badly. I asked myself why putting me away when there is so many undesirable elements in this game. Maybe the industry needs funding but it needs much more to improve its attitude and image problems.
André Audette
Thank you Jack and Jean for
Thank you Jack and Jean for keeping this important topic alive - In answer to Liz Therrien - the problem is that so many people don't know who Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta are and we just presume that they do. That's where many of the problems arise because what's familiar to us, like reading a program, is a maze to others, and because we are so enthralled with super race horses, we feel the rest of the world should be too. I wrote a letter to the Montreal Sports Editor as to why there was only a 2x2 column about Zenyatta and he wrote back and said because nobody is interested. Only those in the industry and who were in attendance at Santa Anita were bowled over by this superb mare. The same applies to Muscle Hill in our Breeders Crown.
I think that the breeders have to take a hard look at themselves and think about the future and who is going to be breeding to these 3 yr old stallions who are being retired far too early, just when race goers are beginning to make a connection with them.
I would like to suggest to
I would like to suggest to standardbred canada to run a poll on what is the bigger problem facing harness racing. Declining attendance or decreasing handle. If the answer is attendance than lets continue to talk about alot of the wonderful ideas to get people out to the races and involved in harness racing. But I would guess that the answer will be handle because i dont see a running calculator on the standardbred canada website highlighting declining attendance. Having attended an extreme night at georgian or the adrenaline festival in sarnia further convince me that they create local interest in harness racing but have zero long term impact on handle. Listening to all the suggestions on how to increase the handle is a bit like listening to non smokers tell me 'THEY KNOW HOW I FEEL" when i quit smoking. I have heard track operators suggest takeout is not the major problem , i have heard the person who bets 20 dollars on a good night out suggest takeout is not a problem, but i have never met a 100 dollar win place bettor who has not come to realize that betting horses with a 20 percent plus takeout is a prescription to the poor house. Is what we are saying when we talk about introducing novices to the joy of betting on horses is that by bringing in 2000 new fans who bet 2 dollars per race on their ten visits to the racetrack every year will solve the issue of handle,or is our dirty little secret that we hope they get addicted to the concept that betting on horses is both fun and profitable and that they will deposit alot of their net worth into our game before they realize they had no chance. The answer is plain and simple, define if you want to compete with the lotteries and other jackpots then keep your takeout the same and figure out your distribution network and how to improve it. i.e terminals at grocery stores, v75 jackpots like Sweden and 10 cent pick 6's. and superfectas or try to be a competetive gambling product and get your takeout in line with other gambling products ,that now have your old customers. If harness racing participants want to highlight the strength of this industry and introduce friends to the pleasures of this business start with an introduction to one of your horses before you introduce them to a teller.
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make a O% takeout day...to
make a O% takeout day...to try it....they already get the facility paid for ten fold by the slot agreement then provide tables and food for "whales" they get the same from offshore outfits and then some!!
Let's face it folks, most of
Let's face it folks, most of the owners and trainers could care less about the betting public. After all, cheering from the peanut gallery only upsets the horses. The track take from betting is such a small contribution to the purse money at most tracks that it makes no sense whatsoever to even try to maintain the illusion of wicket integrity.
If there was no betting, there would be a greatly-diminished need for on-track regulation and supervision. If only the insiders had a stake in race outcomes, who would care if the races were fairly run or not? The purse structure as it exists today is a form of government handout courtesy of the unfortunates who stuff their money into the slot machines. Let's be frank and call it what it is - horeseman's welfare. The recent Quebec decision is simply a reflection of public sympathy. Let the horses eat hay, not taxpayer money.
i have been introduced to
i have been introduced to racing through my youngest daughter. she applied for a camp that was held through ohha in july 2008.she had a great time at the camp and now she is part of the envoirment through being a groomer at mohawk raceway. i still not sure of the betting , but maybe if they held camps for adults, as well as have a personal guide to help people how to bet and how to read the program. i find the program the hardest to read. people need to be more educated and then you might see more people going. my daughter is only 14 years old and she loves being at the track and getting the horses ready for the races. what about having more entertainment while waiting for each race, like different draws, etc.. you find when there is a big race more people are there at the trck so we need to work on draws, as well as education ,that is waht i find since i am a newbe, to this. more excitement for sure..
Ideas and excellent
Ideas and excellent strategies are more important then funding!
The Problem: The audience for the sport of harness racing and associated gambling revenues has declined across North America as more and more entertainment and gambling alternatives have emerged and prospered to capture time and money.
The Solutions: To create strategies to reverse this decline I would model the success of these other entertainment and gambling alternatives by understanding the reasons why they have captured hearts,time and dollars. Once success generating models are established for each I would introduce those most applicable to Harness Racing.
Complete understanding and study of "the competition" is the key to developing winning strategies for the sport of Harness Racing. Many focus too much on Harness Racing at the expense of a complete understanding of the competition!
Let first identify these other entertainment and gambling competitors and then we should all assess them to learn why they are successful. By the way, most on this list are a sport and/or all on this list are associated with huge entertainment and/or gambling revenues. I’m sure I’ve missed a few but these are the ones that come to mind.
Baseball
Basketball
Football
Golf (Mini-Putt, Driving Ranges)
Hockey
Lotteries
Nascar(Go-Cart Tracks)
Online Poker
Soccer
Now, to create a success model for each of these I would start by listing participation at a young age for all the sports as part of the reason for their success. For example, an 8 year-old plays organized hockey, goes to the Quebec City carnival for a tournament, understands and appreciates the nuances of the sport and then when he’s in his twenties he ends up going to a game, watching hockey on TV and even betting on his favorite teams through a sports lottery, like Sports Select or by participating in a playoff pool or by making a bet with a friend.
So I would list participation at a young age, amateur participation as a success element.
Now how do you turn this into a strategy for the sport of Harness Racing?
For starters I would get youth, amateurs riding behind a race horse at a young age, form amateur leagues and create amateur championships at race tracks and training facilities. Older standardbreds would find a new home, new employment would be created, employ available race track capacity etc.
So based on the above strategy I would boost the sport of Harness Racing by encouraging broad participation at a young age and participation at an amateur level through Harness Racing leagues, learning and entertainment centres etc.
To be continued…...
Harness racing would benefit
Harness racing would benefit fom making itself more transparent to the public. Why not have an observation room where the bettors and public can see what is going on from arrival to race time with the horses, trainers, groom etc.. People love the parade ring with the thoroughbreds, and being close to the animals. You need to get them to the track, get them interested in the horses, and the money influx will naturally follow.
Great ideas - all of them.
Great ideas - all of them. I'd like to contribute a couple of mine. Many times I have written to the Toronto Star to comment on their terrible coverage of standardbred racing as opposed to some other really obscure sports. The standardbred community has to find a way to create publicity for the sport. Everyone knows Rachel Alexandra, Zenyatta, Big Brown, and many other recent thoroughbred heroes. These horses don't have any Canadian connections that I can see but Canadians know who they are because of the media. I know that Canadians love to see other Canadians do well on the international stage in any sport . There must be a way to show how well Canada fares against the us and other countries in harness racing. How can we get the press to showcase horses like Somebeach , races like the Breeders Crown, Hambletonian or the Jug and participants like John Campbell, Ron Waples, Jody Jamieson, and Mark McDonald just to name a few(all Canadian sports heroes in my opinion)? Public knowledge is everything in sports. If Canadians were informed about the numerous Canadian accomplishments I'm sure they would sit up and take notice. Maybe - keep hounding the sports writers or offer them some incentives to write about Canadian harness racing!
Another grand idea is the Score's handicapping contest every week. Perhaps the racetracks could use this in some way to get people to the track or to get them to comeback after their first visit.
I'm getting older fast and I don't want to racing die before i do.
I'm not a breeder or owner but a long long time bettor and fan introduced to this wonderful sport by my dad at a very early age.
I couldn't agree more, for
I couldn't agree more, for first timers at the track it is very confusing, we need to help them understand wht is going on.
Paddock tours would be a great way to introduce new comers, intoduce them to the people behind the scenes, you would be amazed what this would do.
Standardbred canada is the obvious choice to run such a program, hire kelly Spencer, give her access to the back stretch with new comers. It worked years ago at Elmira!
Well said Jean, well said
Well said Jean, well said Lynne,
Jean you know my views on this subject. For others, I agree with everything Jean has said and would only add that if the industry wants to compete for new clientele, we must go to them, they wont come to us.
The primary competition for the gaming dollar has been and will continue to be the internet. We must level the playing field in this arena. Simple tools, a unified product, strong marketing, and yes if possible a lower takeout, will all help to do this.
If we can attract, excite, and teach new clientele on the internet they will visit the track. I leave it to you to keep them there.
Some very good ideas and
Some very good ideas and thoughts from Mr. LaRose. It is, indeed, a sad time for the racing industry in Quebec but also an indication of what is to come for the rest of Canadian racing if we don't heed the message.
I've stated many times that we need to appeal not only to the long-time bettors and fans who have left the industry for one reason or another but to the new, young market that has plenty of entertainment money and love the thrills and chills and the expectation of turning it into more. At very least, they want good entertainment for any money spent. Currently, we are not providing a good "spectator" sport. We are not "user friendly". These "newbies" need to have a good understanding of the way our game is played but simply explained. Try taking some of them to the track and explaining why certain horses have different equipment, warm up differently, look like they are "racing" before they get to their race and "why aren't they saving that energy until the race", move differently (pacer vs trotters), etc. etc. They have a ton of questions right off the bat without even looking at the tote board or the program which is all gobble-t-gook to them anyway. If you even go there, it is far too complicated and way too much information for a first timer and they just turn off. Maybe there should be a simplified program for the novice attendees with simple instructions on the first page.
The KISS theory works for most things--why not racing? Have some tellers that are for novice bettors only and are trained to help them through the first visit. Any visitors that I have taken to the races have loved being there but are way too confused and overwhelmed by all of the details and feel so intimidated that they don't go back. When, as a standardbred horse person, I end up telling them to just pick a horse by its name, the colour of its saddle pad, the drivers' colours or some such thing, it is frustrating for everyone involved.
Information is a great tool and we don't have enough of it in simplified terms for that audience that we need to attract. They are not stupid people but they don't want to be hit in the face with either no information or way too much. If they are spending all of their time trying to get the info that many of us have spent years trying to understand, they can't even watch the horses and enjoy the "show" that they are there to see! And they don't go back!