April is such an exciting month in our industry. There are fields of green grass, new foals, attempts to pair up mares and sires to create that next champion, and two-year-olds getting serious about strutting their stuff. But we seem to be faced with so many political and financial hurdles in our industry that I often wonder if we are getting to the point where we'll have to close our eyes and dream about all those things.
As I mentioned, I attended the TRA/HTA/HHI and USTA Racing Congress in Las Vegas, where executives from all major thoroughbred and standardbred tracks were present. The most common message seemed to be that there is too much racing -- which restricts tracks from promoting their product and successfully creating excitement. As I was listening to Dennis Robinson (President & CEO of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority) make that statement, I was thinking about Standardbred Canada's Strategic Plan and the goal of having different 'Festivals of Racing' across the country, the first of which will take place at Hiawatha in Sarnia, Ontario, August 20th to 23rd.
Robinson also spoke of having a central body to manage the horse racing industry continent wide. That sounds very ambitious, but it would be nice if SC could advance this role for Canada, at least. And on the topic of national issues, at three different Committee levels and also at a Board meeting, the United States Trotting Association Directors attempted to resolve the whipping issue, once and for all, and couldn't! The only conclusion of these lengthy debates was that the judges should enforce the existing rules with stiffer penalties.
As we know, the Ontario Racing Commission brought all industry leaders together last summer and we haven't seen any rule changes either, although concrete recommendations have been proposed. But I would like to commend Sam Hawkins, Executive Director of the Gaming Policy and Racing Enforcement Branch in British Columbia, for coming up with a new policy on whipping in B.C. At Fraser Downs, drivers are allowed to take their hands out of the hand holds and hit their horse a maximum of four times, but only in the first and last eighths of the race. Penalties get stiffer for each offense and the judges have the right to disqualify the horse. I am not saying this is necessarily the right solution, but I give Hawkins credit for trying something new.
It's not the only recent industry adjustment that's attracting attention down South. Canada is fortunate enough to have a national drug testing program which is controlled by the Canadian Pari-Mutuel Association and is part of Agriculture Canada. Jurisdictions in the United States are very envious. And starting June 1, the CPMA will commence testing for anabolic steroids across Canada.
But back to the topic of the Vegas conference. What ever happened to the 59¢ shrimp cocktail, anyway?
Jeff Gural made a very strong argument for convincing the top three-year-olds to come back and race at four. His proposal is that stake races would list conditions requiring eligible horses to have been sired by a stallion five years of age or older. Jeff is open to suggestions and is just looking for a positive change to market our stars. The breeders in the audience, certainly, voiced their opposition to his suggestion. What are the chances that some of the major tracks will get together, shift some stake money away from the two and three-year olds and put it into aged events?
One last thought about conferences.
Don't forget to register for SC's second Standardbred Wagering Conference to be held at Caesars Windsor, April 28-30th in Windsor, Ontario. Darryl Kaplan tells me he is ready to announce updates on the implementation of some of the recommendations that came from last year’s conference. I can hardly wait and I urge you to attend. This is where words become action.
What are the odds in Vegas of a driver going to work one night and being involved in three dead heats? Joe Pavia Jr. was (two for win and one for place), on February 10th at Pompano Park. Also, congratulations to Yonkers based driver, Jordan Stratton, on becoming only the second driver in history (other than Walter Case) to reach 1,000 career wins prior to the age of 22. Wow!
In closing, this is the last time that I will get a chance to comment on Somebeachsomewhere. Thanks to Brent MacGrath, all the people involved, and especially The Beach himself for the great memories over the past two years. The colt broke, trained and qualified in Truro, Nova Scotia, was named 2008 Horse of the Year in Canada and the United States. What were those odds the first day Brent hooked him to a jogger?