Although Fraser Downs hosted one less race card than planned during its opening weekend, management at the Surrey oval remain positive heading into the track's second weekend of the meet
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Due to a shortage of healthy horses, Fraser Downs was forced to cancel its first Saturday race card of the meet last weekend, but on a positive note, race secretary Jackson Wittup was able to cobble together two interesting cards on Friday and Sunday with mostly full nine-horse fields. Sunday's card featured a full 12 races with winning times of 1:54 of the best on display. Don’t know how owner/trainer/driver Dave Hudon felt, but another positive indicator was the flurry of claiming activity that occurred. Sunday, Hudon was the victim of three claims. He lost Red Star Brooklyn, Run Way Star and Sky Sunny. Meanwhile, on Friday, John Heras paid the $30,000 claiming price for Keith Clark’s Rossridge Fortune, a winner of the race for fillies and mares.
The fact is the same thing happened opening weekend at Hastings Racecourse and the thoroughbreds just completed one of their most successful meets in recent memory.
"I’m hoping we can have a similar ending that Hastings did,” said Fraser Downs general manager Ken Stratton. “We’re going to mirror the Hastings marketing plan for the first time. Providing a great experience has never been an issue at Fraser, it’s just getting them to come out and try us.”
There was no shortage of positive signs from the standing room only crowd on opening night Friday when the on-site betting was up from a year ago despite two fewer races.
“Of course, increasing the handle is the goal,” added Stratton.
To that end Fraser has added Chamber of Commerce Nights where groups get to simulate ownership for the night. To make the experience as real as possible they get introduced to the trainer-driver and meet “their” horse too. The first attempt was fully subscribed with the winner getting a free ad for a month in the Fraser Downs program.
“It’s something we’ll try every couple of months or so,” said a pleased Stratton, who also has lined up remote radio station plugs with three outlets.
Racing is scheduled this week on the regular Friday night and Saturday, Sunday afternoons.
(With files from Fraser Downs)