This afternoon Trot Insider spoke with Russ Moulton, executive director of the National Capital Region Harness Horse Association, about the situation caused in the Ottawa area due to the influx of Quebec horses.
Since Quebec racetrack owner Attractions Hippiques announced that it was stopping racing at Hippodrome de Montreal and obtaining protection from its creditors, Rideau Carleton Raceway has been inundated with entries from Quebec-based stables.
For example, the connections of 315 horses dropped their horses' names into the entry box for tonight's 15-race card from Rideau. A total of 149 horses were entered to contest the card, leaving many Ontario-based horses out of luck -- and quite possibly livelihood.
"I have spoken to a trainer of a 40-horse stable that says that he will be closing up shop and applying at IBM," Moulton told Trot Insider. "I've had a couple of other trainers tell me that they can pay the bills for two more weeks and then they're done. Others have told me they are taking a handful of horses and hoping for best of luck on the Woodbine circuit.
"Stable hands are being laid off. Stables are throwing in the towel. People's futures, families and well-beings are on the line. These issues have to be dealt with, and dealt with fast."
Moulton told Trot Insider that the NCRHHA met with the Ontario Racing Commission yesterday at the Toronto offices. He said that the Board listened to input regarding the Ottawa situation and that a committee is being formed, with members possibly finalized by next week.
"One of the things that [the NCRHHA] has proposed is for Rideau to start carding 'Ontario Preferred' races," Moulton explained. "There would be conditions for Ontario-based, trained, bred and owned horses. We aren't asking for all of the 15 races on the card to be of this nature, more along the lines of five."
Moulton said that similar types of conditions are placed on races in Quebec, therefore it only seems right that -- especially under these circumstances -- that conditions of that nature be placed on Rideau's races.
"The Ontario slot program, and the program for Rideau, was not ever designed to support the Quebec industry," Moulton said. "There are horsemen from certain areas of Quebec that have always raced at Rideau, but this situation is a whole other issue.
"I have to choose my words carefully on this subject, though, because the horsemen in the Rideau area are very good friends with a large per cent of Quebec's horsemen, but this situation is not one that can be ignored."