MAY 2020 THE RIDER /23


Q.R.O.O.I: 50 Alexander Crossing’s, Ajax, ON L0S 1T6 Telephone: (905) 426-7050 • Fax: (905) 426-7093 Email: qrooiheadoffice@gmail.com


www.qrooi.com


PRESIDENT


Bob Broadstock 18101 Cedardale Road, Nestleton, Ontario L0B 1L0 (905) 986-0044 email: bob_broadstock@hotmail.com


QROOI News Jim Lawson Weekly Industry Update April 29, 2020


To all Ontario Horsepeople, I hope you and your loved ones


are all doing well. Before providing a couple of important updates, I would like to take a moment to sincerely thank you for your steady patience, cooperation and understanding while we navigate through these difficult times together. I remain very opti- mistic and confident regarding the fu- ture of the horse racing industry in Ontario. As you will see in this week’s update, we are taking nothing for granted and working very hard to do everything we can to re-start the industry with the resumption of live racing (safely and following govern- ment and health officials’ directions) in the near-term and sustain the indus- try for the long-term. For this week’s update here are a


couple of key points I’d like to high- light:


The Resumption of Live Racing:


As you are aware, I have been very reluctant to speculate when we might be able to return to live racing (with- out spectators). While I remain con- sistent with this approach, we are working very hard behind the scenes to prepare for it. We are distinct from other sports


and entertainment properties as we can conduct our live races without the public and with strict physical dis- tancing protocols in place. Many of you in Standardbred racing experi- enced this when we conducted safe live racing cards at Mohawk on March 16th and 19th without specta- tors and respecting the government guidelines on physical distancing. Over the past few weeks, we


have spent considerable time devel- oping safety and physical distancing protocols that would be implemented in the event the government guide- lines permit the resumption of live racing. Our Provincial Regulator, The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has participated in this detailed planning and is support- ive of adjusting the Rules of Racing to accommodate our newly developed protocols. With the optimism that we all


need to share, we anticipate that we are approximately six weeks away from resuming live racing (under the strict conditions being developed with the AGCO) if the Provincial Declara-


tion of Emergency is lifted and parts of the economy are permitted to grad- ually re-open following government and health officials’ guidelines. I will continue to provide updates in the coming weeks on how we are pro- gressing towards this optimistic tar- get.


Qualifiers for Standardbred Rac-


ing: As part of our ongoing discus- sions and planning with the AGCO on the resumption of live racing, we are also working with them on a plan for qualifying requirements. We are working towards a solution that would be consistent with our efforts to resume live racing as early as pos- sible.


Training Horses at Woodbine:


Currently, there are approximately 1,100 Thoroughbreds stabled on the Woodbine backstretch. We are oper- ating with only essential staff and have strict protocols in place to help protect everyone. In an effort to keep more people safe at home during this period of lockdown, we have not of- fered timed workouts, or starting gate work. However, as we prepare for the above optimistic timelines to return to live Thoroughbred racing sometime in June, we appreciate that horses need to be worked to be ready to race. To that end, starting on Friday, May 1, we are allowing trainers to breeze horses. Within a couple of weeks, we hope to add staff for timed workouts and starting gate operations. It’s important to understand that


we are operating the backstretch to provide stabling and care for the live- stock which is deemed an essential business under the Provincial Gov- ernment’s Declaration of Emergency. We have essential Woodbine Enter- tainment staff working to operate the backstretch under these conditions. We are doing our very best to advance our training facilities, operations and personnel as we all prepare for the re- sumption of live racing. However, we need to be respectful of the Govern- ment’s protocol as it relates to the op- eration of essential businesses at this time.


We will continue to provide up-


dates on this matter and adhere to the Government phasing of businesses gradually re-opening. New Initiatives: As you have


learned over the past year or so, we have been developing an innovative mobile betting app for horse racing


called ‘Dark Horse’. This product simplifies betting on horse racing, both in its user experience design and by using artificial intelligence, which levels the playing field for new and novice players. ‘Dark Horse’ was originally developed with the sports bettor as a prime target. Given the current circumstances with horse rac- ing being the only sport operating in North America, it is the perfect time to introduce ‘Dark Horse’ to those sports bettors who may be looking to be engaged and would welcome a user-friendly horse race betting app. We are anticipating that we will


launch ‘Dark Horse’ in the coming weeks, hopefully coinciding with some good news and clarity on the re- sumption of our own live racing. Earlier this week, we had a very


positive discussion with the federal government regarding how the legal- ization of Historical Horse Racing could provide additional financial re- lief to the horse racing industry while not costing the government any addi- tional money. Furthermore, HHR would also protect the industry from any future closure of non-essential businesses should the COVID-19 pandemic return. It’s too early to know if we will


be successful, but we are confident and remain highly focused on this op- portunity. Ontario Racing Purse Allocation


Program: Ontario Racing continues to process thousands of applications for the Purse Allocation program. They expect to start mailing cheques for the month of April to eligible applicants in early May once the funds are re- ceived from the OLG. Cheques


for Standardbred


horsepeople who were qualified to race during the week of March 25 -31 have been mailed and should be in the hands of those eligible to receive them shortly. Stronger Together: As mentioned


last week, we are planning to host an- other live video conference on Tues- day, May 12 at 2 p.m. I look forward to speaking to you all then and hope- fully we can share some positive news on the return of live racing.


Thank you and be safe, Jim Lawson


VICE-PRESIDENT


Erik Lehtinen RR #2, Uxbridge, ON L9P 1R2 (905) 852-5245


Greg Watson 785 Hwy 7A, Bethany, ON L0A 1A0 (705) 277-0248


Bryanne Sheppard 749 Waite Road, Pontypool, ON L0A 1K0


Chantelle Bourgeois - 416-985-7046 Chantelle.Bourgeois@t4g.com


Ralph Pearson - 905-243-4501 ralphpearson@bellnet.ca


James Bogar JBogar@cameronsteel.com


QROOI and Ontario Racing The QROOI Board of directors are


pleased to announce that Ontario Racing has been successful in securing an aid package for the Ontario Horse Racing In- dustry. We have attached their official no- tice below. Although the plan is not perfect it is meant to ensure that all horses continue to train and receive the type of care that Ontario horse people are proud of. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the entire team at Ontario Racing, Ontario Lottery and Gaming and at our Provincial government. Most notably to the Honorable Minister of Finance Rod Phillips for providing his support and moving the process along quickly during this unprecedented crisis and to Ontario Racing Managements Katherine Curry for


her continued dedication to providing a solution to support all three breeds of horse racing in Ontario. The QROOI would like our mem-


bership to continue nominating horses for the stakes program without the require- ment for payment of any fees. It is our in- tention to make decisions about our racing and stakes program once a more definitive timeline can be established for our return to racing. We trust that you are all practicing


social distancing and protecting your fam- ilies during this most difficult time. Should anyone have any questions


please feel free to contact us


Purse Funds of Cancelled Races to continue to support Horsepeople


Ontario Racing is pleased to notify


industry participants that – by application – horsepeople will have the opportunity to access certain purse funds that remain available under the Funding Agreement with Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corpo- ration (OLG) as a result of the suspension of live racing in the province due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These funds were already commit-


ted to the industry through the Funding Agreement for Live Horse Racing be- tween Ontario Racing and OLG. To en- able this access, Ontario Racing, OLG and the other parties to the Funding Agreement have entered into an amend- ment to the Funding Agreement, a copy of which will be posted on the Ontario Racing website. In response to the COVID-19 pan-


demic, Ontario Racing created a task force to address the financial impacts on the horse racing industry. The Ontario Racing Task Force has worked closely with OLG to structure the below interim process which is available to all three breeds – Standardbred, Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse.


Eligibility Requirements In order to be eligible to receive


funds pursuant to this interim measure, owners must complete an application which must be submitted to Ontario Rac- ing Management Inc. (ORM). Eligibility requirements for this program include the following: Horses must be trained and raced by an Ontario-based trainer with a valid AGCO license Certification that the horse is resident in Ontario, or has completed a Stall Appli- cation for the 2020 race season, or is oth- erwise verified to be coming to Ontario for the 2020 race season The horse’s first start following the re- sumption of racing in Ontario must be at


an Ontario track, unless otherwise ap- proved by Ontario Racing Horses must be at least 3 years old, and either have not yet raced or have raced since January 1, 2019 Subject to meeting the above eligi-


bility criteria, for the months of April and May, should racing continue to be sus- pended, racehorse owners will be eligible to receive the following payments, each of which is estimated to cover half of the monthly costs associated with boarding, feed and training fees (veterinary, black- smith, shipping, and other fees are not in- cluded in this estimate):


Thoroughbreds Standardbred Quarter Horse


$1,500/month $1,000/month $750/month


Horse owners can apply for pay-


ments under this interim measure by sub- mitting an application form to Ontario Racing, c/o Sarrah Young syoung@ontar- ioracing.com. Application forms will be available on the Ontario Racing website.


Standardbred horses that were


qualified to race during the last week of March will be eligible to each receive $300, and drivers and trainers will receive 5% up to an accumulated maximum of $25,000 for each group. If the suspension of live horse rac-


ing in Ontario as a result of the COVID- 19 pandemic continues beyond May 31, 2020, the Task Force intends to present a revised proposal to OLG for the realloca- tion of purse funds under the Funding Agreement, which will include payments for 2-year-old racehorses as well. Ontario Racing will continue to


pay the 1.5% of purses to the horseper- son’s associations so they can continue to offer benefits, benevolence activities and additional assistance to those in need.


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