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Old 11-01-2012, 01:21 PM   #1
Ted Craven
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Ontario Racing Update

Press Release:

"Ontario Government taking positive steps towards a resolution with the Sport of Horse Racing"

TORONTO, Oct. 30, 2012 /CNW/ - Dennis Mills, Racing Future Inc. stated today in response on the Ontario Horse Racing Industry Transition Panel "We understand that the next 30 days will be the most important month in the history of Ontario horse racing. It will be during this time period that the Panel will negotiate new contracts with the racetracks. We hope that the Panel has been given sufficient financial quantum and latitude to negotiate in good faith for without that and support of the racetracks the sport may not survive".

Racing Future recognize that the responsibility of the Panel was a huge one given the stark realities posed by the sudden termination of the Slots at Racetracks Program: the potential loss of 55,000 full and part-time jobs, the issue of equine welfare, and, fundamentally, the devastation that would occur in rural Ontario. From the outset the task of the Panel was challenging and Racing Future applaud their tenacity, openness, and intelligence in determining policy that will assist an industry that has contributed over $14 billion to the Treasury of Ontario since 1998 and is one of Ontario's most important heritage assets.

Although everyone involved in this issue could easily spend time now finger pointing, we at Racing Future believe that we must attempt to focus all of our attention on the deadline of December 1st, 2012 for all Racetrack negotiations to be completed. It is from this point of view that we celebrate several of the Panel's statements not least of which is that "Ontario's horse racing industry is worth saving. It generates jobs, economic spinoffs and tax revenues. It is a valuable social and cultural asset, with deep roots in Ontario's heritage, and maintains strong links between rural and urban communities." (p 23)

Racing Future has always advocated that the Slots at Racetracks Program was a revenue-sharing partnership and we are pleased to note that the Panel concurs through their statement on page 11: "in the interests of sound public policy OLG should not subsidize racetracks but, equally, racetracks should not subsidize OLG."

As with most sectors of the provincial economy such as the automotive industry, environment, cultural sectors, etc, varying degrees of government support are imperative to survival. Specific to horse racing, the Panel notes that they "could not find a single example of a viable horse racing industry without some form of public support (p.1). Having said this, the Panel goes on to state that the current agreement with Slots at Racetracks Program will conclude on the date originally set forth, March 31st, 2013, but by December 1st, 2012 a new agreement will be in place. Moreover, the Panel has stated quite emphatically that the horse racing industry will be supported at least in its transition phase, which has been set at 3 years. The Panel has not stated the quantum of financial support but they have stated, on page 17 of their report, that the Government needs to "allocate funding over the next three years to support implementation of the Sustainable Horse Racing Model."

The following are some additional recommendations of the Panel that Racing Future endorses and supports:

On page 18, the implementation of the Sustainable Horse Racing Model, which sets aside $10 million for marketing, understanding consumer behaviour and enhancing the horse player exercise.

Racing Future also support the recommendations to the government outlined on page 19:

• Explore a new horse racing specific lottery
• Deliver sports book in Ontario through the horse racing industry network.
• Allow Ontario racetracks to offer historical racing products
• Use the new net revenues (with projected total of $100 million per year) to offset future public funding of live racing, grow the racing industry, and enhance government revenues

Historical racing products -- also known as Instant Racing Machines -- will only work where there are no slot machines. Where there are slot machines and Instant Racing Machines in the same location, consumers invariably choose slots. It is important to keep this in mind when considering placement of Instant Racing Machines, which work very well in various locations such as Off Track Betting venues.

As with the pari-mutuel formula we hope that the proposed Racing Secretariat will split the "new revenues" (as outlined above) 50/50 between purses and the racetracks.

Additionally, the Panel has been very explicit on equine welfare and Racing Future support their recommendations to the government on page 21:

• Eliminate public funding of equine performance/breeding research and replace it with public investment through OMAFRA in overall equine health as required.
• Require breeders and owners to develop robust racehorse lifecycle plans.
• Provide funding for foundational lifecycle planning development work through Equine Guelph.
• Develop a therapeutic drug policy designed to enhance the second career options for racehorses.
Racing Future are concerned about the Panel's conclusions regarding promoting Ontariobreeding excellence on page 12
• Review both the Horse Improvement Program (HIP) and the pari-mutuel tax reduction memorandum of understanding to ensure funds make the maximum impact on the quality of Ontario horses and generate the maximum economic benefit.
• Cap the flow of pari-mutuel tax reduction funds into breeding program -- including HIP and the Ontario Sires Stakes -- at $30 million per year.

Panel Proposal 2011 Change
Race Days
Thoroughbred A 160 165 -3%
Thoroughbred B 30 78 -62%
Standardbred A/B/C 580 1262 -54%
Quarter Horse 30 39 -23%
Total Race Days 800 1540 -48%

Purses
Thoroughbred A $64 million $74.4 million -14%
Thoroughbred B $3 million $6.2 million -52%
Standardbred A $37 million $80.5 million -54%
Standardbred B $22 million $60.4 million -64%
Standardbred C $4.2 million $18 million -77%
Quarter Horse $3 million $3.9 million -23%
Total Purses $133.2 million $243.4 million -45%

Racing Future have additional concerns around the purse structure and race days, to be specific...

• the future of Fort Erie racetrack;
• the dramatic reduction in the number of the race dates for Standardbreds; and,
• how the Racing Secretaries can design a racing structure that requires every race to have a field size of ten horses in order to be eligible for purse funds under the new program.

Regarding Fort Erie, we urge the Racing Secretariat to re-consider the number of race dates immediately. Fort Erie must have a minimum 90-day meet, which is the minimum number of race dates required to achieve critical mass. This issue must be addressed by December 1st 2012.

Racing Future are also left asking ourselves many questions: What was the formula or rationale used to reduce the number of Standardbred races by almost 60%? What is the explanation for reducing racing at Fort Erie by 54% while reducing racing at Ajax Downs by only 3%. What is the criteria required for a racetrack to be a member of the proposed alliance? In light of such questions, there needs to be more specificity on how such issues were decided upon.

Racing Future also understand that the Racing Secretariat will have the ability to amend some of their recommendations as they encounter complexities going forward such as the requirement of 10-horse minimum field size. More research will no doubt show that this is not an achievable or sustainable parameter given the unpredictability of the sport.

Having noted these concerns, we are hopeful that the new Racing Secretariat will include the current Panel members and will have Cabinet Authority to make sure these concerns pass the fairness test.

Finally, Racing Future support the Panel's over-arching principals that further investment of public dollars in the industry should be based on clear public-interest principles, namely:

• Accountability
• Transparency
• Renewed focus on the consumer and
• Return of each public dollar invested to government through tax revenues

We believe John Snobelen, Elmer Buchanan and John Wilkinson as well as the Minister of Agriculture, the Hon Ted McMeekin, have worked tirelessly to produce this final report. From the sudden and potentially devastating news of last March, the efforts of the Panel, and of Mr McMeekin who has remained steadfast and determined to consider often divergent viewpoints, should at this point be recognized by everyone involved in horse racing.

The Racing Future team has been an advocate on behalf of horse racing for the past 5 months. Our advocacy journey started when leaders of the Standardbred Community approached us to help them during this critical period. During our involvement we have been privileged to have partnerships with many supporters including StandardbredCanada, the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society, and many others. Contributors to our advocacy efforts are listed on RacingFuture.com.

At this time, Racing Future also want to recognize our international partners, the Paulick Report and the Daily Racing Form, whose contributions played a significant role in garnering global support for one of our country's greatest exports, the sport of horse racing.

In closing, Racing Future will continue to provide support and our services over the next 30 days as the Panel meets its self-imposed deadline of December 1st, 2012 for the successful completion of new contracts with the racetracks.

SOURCE: Racing Future Inc.
For further information:
For the full report, please visit RacingFuture.com. For further comments, please contact Dennis Mills at (416) 587-1716 or dennismills@racingfuture.com.
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Old 01-23-2013, 09:41 PM   #2
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Latest in Ontario Racing & Government Transition Support

News as of January 23, 2012 - Woodbine signs deal

http://news.ontario.ca/omafra/en/201...-continue.html

Sounds rather vague still to me ... politico-speak: could mean anything. Do any insiders know anything more? Jon L?

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Old 01-24-2013, 09:33 AM   #3
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They are keeping pretty tight lipped about which tracks they are going to contract with. I know they have already signed deals with London and Peterborough about a month ago. and yesterday announced, after the Woodbine and Mohawk deals were made public, pending deals with Clinton and Hanover and that ten others are in the works. Apparently they are sayinng they are just renting the space from the tracks for their slots. There will still be money coming in to the tracks and municipalities, but a lesser amount than before.
The single light in all this is that the whole thing has been moved from the Ministry of Government Affairs to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs where they have more knowledge of the picture as a whole.
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Old 01-24-2013, 09:38 AM   #4
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Horse racing will live on at Woodbine Entertainment Group (WEG) facilities after the not-for-profit corporation reached an agreement in principle with the province and secured an undisclosed amount of transition funding.
The agreement between WEG and the government will ensure that live horse racing continues at Woodbine and Mohawk Racetracks beyond March 31, when the current Slots at Racetracks Program is set to expire.
The high-stakes sport will operate under a new funding model, which will require track operators to meet certain accountability and transparency requirements.
“I will go to bed tonight secure in the knowledge that world class horse racing in Ontario will not only survive but will thrive,” said Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Minister Ted McMeekin, MPP for Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale.
While this is good new for the horse racing industry, which has been racing towards an uncertain future since the government announced the cancellation of the Slots at Racetracks Program last March, the agreement in principle between WEG and the province has a two-year shelf life.
“This long-awaited agreement offers stability while WEG and our partners in horse racing work with government towards a long-term sustainability solution,” said Jim Lawson, chairman of the WEG board of directors. “It’s clear to us that this is only a short-term fix, and sustainability can only be achieved by the integration of horse racing into the province’s gaming strategy.”
Now that the province has reached an agreement in principle with the nation’s largest operator of horse racing, McMeekin believes the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, with the help of the transition panel struck to help devise a more sustainable model for the horse racing, will be better positioned to secure deals with other tracks across the province.
“I suspect that the contracts with those tracks will be easier to sign now than they were yesterday at this time,” said the minister. “With Woodbine and Mohawk now in the tent, the big elephants will help us to feed the smaller elephants throughout Ontario.”
The province is currently negotiating with 10 tracks operators, including Great Canadian Gaming Corporation, the owner of Flamboro Downs. McMeekin expects agreements with other tracks will be announced in the coming weeks.
In addition to Wednesday’s agreement with WEG, the province also announced changes to the Ontario Racing Commission (ORC) and the horse improvement program.
The ORC, which regulates horse racing in the province, will now fall under the purview of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs instead of the Ministry of Government Services.
“We have made an argument, a successful argument, that that ought to be rolled into the Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs because of the key roles it plays in terms of putting in place the racing agenda and monitoring it and securing the industry, generally,” said McMeekin.
Funding for the horse improvement plan, to the tune of $30 million annually, was also announced Wednesday. The funding, noted the agriculture minister, will ensure the continued success of the Ontario Sires Stakes program.
Described as the “Olympic Games for Ontario horses,” the Sires Stakes program “drives a lot of breeders to continue their great work at developing great racing horses,” said McMeekin.
Wednesday’s announcements are just some of many that will come down the pipe in the next few weeks.
“We have a 100-piece puzzle,” said McMeekin. “Of the 100 pieces, suddenly about 65 are now in place.”
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Old 01-24-2013, 03:27 PM   #5
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More ...

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-raci...#ixzz2IvUB5JVY

133 dates in 2013 starting April 20 (versus April 6 in 2012) - 15% less than 2012. If they don't run through Dec 15 this year, that would not be a big loss to quality racing at Woodbine ...

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Old 01-24-2013, 10:16 PM   #6
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Just in 5 minutes ago.

dennismills@racingfuture.com






Anyone who is in or visiting Toronto this weekend and loves the sport of horse racing, please join us at (old) Maple Leaf Gardens during the Liberal leadership convention. Almost 3,000 delegates -- who will be choosing the next Premier of Ontario -- will be in one place for over 24 hours. We cannot miss this opportunity to educate! Give us 10 minutes of your time on Friday and/or Saturday to rally in support of Canadian horse racing.


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