28/ JULY 2012 THE RIDER What is At Stake For Essex County Horse Racing
By Patricia Hennessy Laing, Cidermill Farms
Essex County has a rich 100 year his- tory in the horse racing industry. In the early 20th century, when Michigan prohib- ited gambling on horse racing, Windsor boasted three lively thoroughbred race tracks, The Devonshire, The Jockey Club, and The Kenilworth. It was at Kenilworth Park, in 1919, that Man ‘O War made his- tory in the final race of his career. Three- year-old Man o’ War defeated the 1919 Triple Crown winner Sir Barton in a match race, the Kenilworth Park Gold Cup. With odds of 1-20, Man o’ War won by seven lengths. It was his14th consecutive victory. More recently, Essex County residents cel- ebrated the success of “I’ll Have Another”, the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner owned by Paul Reddam, formerly of Wind- sor. “I’ll Have Another” was a Triple Crown contender until he was sidelined due to an injury suffered just before race day at Bromont.
Windsor Raceway opened its doors in 1965 and serviced both thoroughbred and standardbred racing. The local racing industry is now in jeopardy due to a deci- sion by the Ontario government to close the casino slots at the Windsor Raceway. The government claims the move is to consoli- date and save casino jobs in Windsor, and to end a “racing subsidy”, which is a small percentage of the revenue that the track generates by housing the slot machines. “Although racing is not our sport, I know one thing for certain: horse keeping is extremely labour intensive. It takes many more people to breed, raise, feed, equip, train, and keep a horse sound and fit for performance than it does to keep a slot machine filled with quarters.” says Dewar Laing, owner of Cidermill Farms. According to Brian Tropea, on the Executive of the Ontario Harness Horse Association, the racing industry is the sec-
ond largest sub-sector of the agricultural economy in this province. It provides 60,000 jobs in Ontario. The government’s move to back out of the OLG slot machine agreement is a big game changer for the standardbred industry and will have an impact not only on the back stretch but in the farmer’s field, the feed store, the tack shop, the farrier’s wallet, the vet’s practice, truck sales, trailer sales, farm equipment sales and so on.
Ontario’s Finance Minister, Dwight Duncan, sees the racing industry as a drain on casinos, rather than as a business part- nership with the OLG. It is a partnership that generates over a billion dollars a year for the government coffers. Perhaps there needs to be changes to the industry, but first, the government needs to study the impact of any changes to the industry on this region and others, before a stroke of the pen destroys a way of life for so many
in Essex County. And let’s not forget that there is no Employment Insurance for the 100,000 horses in the racing industry. No one even wants to think about what might happen to unemployed horses.
Jan and Risty Schmidt 2129 Queen Street, R.R. #2, Petersburg, ON, N0B 2H0 (519) 696-2564 Established 1964
schmidt@coolwaterquarterhorses.com www.coolwaterquarterhorses.com
There are over 4,460 horses in Essex County, with a financial benefit of over $7.1 million dollars annually to the area. The industry’s fixed asset investment in Essex County is approximately $73.5 mil- lion dollars. (1) How the proposed changes will impact the area’s horse industry remains to be seen but horse people fear the consequences will be dramatic and far reaching.
(1). Economic Impact of the Ontario Horse Industry, Dr. Bob Wright Ministry of Agri- culture, Food and Rural Affairs.
Photo Courtesy of David Dufour,
www.dsdufour.com
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