Financial Support For Fair Racing

My introduction to harness racing came in the 60's when my family raced at South Mountain, Spencerville, Perth and Cardinal, in Eastern Ontario. Our better stock raced for $2-3,000. in fair stake races. None of those venues have had racing for twenty years or more. It was where rural race fans got the bug that has lasted a lifetime. It was the roots of harness racing. Why not revive on a regional basis. Afterall, so called raceways have a ten-twelve race handle of $5-10,000. Maybe the time has come to get back to the future.

I couldnt agree more Gary....
nicely put..
Welly Charles

Tracks across Ontario have excess purse money in their accounts from what I have heard, some figures are in the millions and they are not allowed to give them to the horsemen because the ORC mandates that they cannot. How is it not possible that the fair tracks cannot get some of that money to hold races that have been held for the past 50 years at these fairs? Will the excuse be that they cannot be insured or the cost to run a fair card is too expensive? It is fairs like this that get the younger generation a look at the standardbreds at a young age and some as in the past fall in love with the sport and become lifelong fans, if not investors in the business.

One person mentioned Roger Hammer in Pennsylvania, how about Ohio which has tons of fairs throughout the year and doesn't have slot revenues or purses anywhere near the tracks here in Ontario, yet they can hold fair races and offer better then average purses.

The ORC as well as the Horsemans Organizations who are supposed to represent the horsemen who sit and allow this to happen should be ashamed of themselves for burying the fair circuit.

Gary Blackburn

It would be nice if they got a good look at this and see what fair racing means to alot. When we go and race there it isnt about making a fortune it is about a nice sunday out and going to have fun with some close friends, a chance for horses who cant quite keep up at regular tracks. I mostly go for the food, I love fair food. a blanket and some gas money, for the people it is excitent who dont get the chance to make it out to racetracks. Years ago there were tons of fair races, there was a fair ciruit, a fair final, For a small trainer or driver to be in a fair final it is a great day you feel like u are going for the lil brown jug. Alot of owner drivers cant afford to get rid of a horse and get a new one in its place, but now it is to a point where if u have a cheap horse U are lucky to race for a 5th tops.
Welly Charles

Thanks for the update Norm....this is really sad....If you watch You Tube & check out the PA Fair circuit you see that they seem to run alot of good races for some really decent purse money there.....The sport is at least alive there...No wonder Roger Hammer loves this sport...he thrives at these fairs...can't believe that they cancelled Markham here...as long as I can remember as a kid they had harness racing at the Markham Fairgrounds..at first it was Sat/Sun..then they cut back to Sunday...now gone...what a sad day for harness racing here in Ontario....I agree that WEG or OLG need to cough up some cash & kick start this long running tradition back to life....what a great place to run some grassroots like Paul had mentioned....

I agree Welly, It wasn't all that long ago, you have at least of fair going every weekend from Labor day to Thanksgiving weekend. I thought with Ontario's new purse structure, that some of that money was suppose to be ear marked for the fair circuit. And Frank, you are wrong, there is only Port Perry left in 2011...Markham canceled.

For the Amount our tracks take in with the slots, it wouldnt be nuthin to help out the fair circuit around ontario. I miss going to them fairs as I know there are alot who also miss them, thats where alot of us started and where alot of us enjoy. I understand alot of the reasons our fairs no longer have racing is because of insurance reasons, but if the tracks could help out it would bring back a tradition to some of these old fairs..
Welly Charles

How about some supoprt for the Canadian Fair Circuit??..It's dying here...There seems to be only 2 fairs around here that are alive..Port Perry & Markham....we've lost Sutton..Ancaster...Paris...& one of the biggest fairs Simcoe last year...somebody raise a "red flag" & get some life back into the fair circuit...how about the OLG coughing up some cash & helping out?...or the ORC?....

In 1978, I made a research study on Ontario fair grounds.

I think that at that time, Ontario had over 40 racetracks.
That what saved them, and in 1962, the breeders were asking, begging Quebec to accept Ontario foals in their futurities.
Qubec had 4 racetracks, but still fair grounds, given to commercial operators, interested in money but not in harness racing.

Campeau Corp. the commercial operator of Blue Bonnets was buying the fair grounds permit to reduce the competition.
Then, no more feeding from from the fair grounds , no more water to the sea. Meaning no more sport , no more fans.

I wrote that in 1985, when i was saying that there will be no fans in the forum of Montreal, if the province of Quebec had only 4 arenas. In 1900., it was published that the province had 101 racetracks confirmed and lot of fans for the pari mutuel.

In France, the smallest program , even on grass, has a minimum of 10,000 Euros per races. Up to now, the pari mutel is more than 8.4% compared to last year.

So, fair grounds need more purse money to promote the industry in the Ontario province. Money has to come from the total earned on larger racetracks.