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The future of horse racing in Ontario

July 23, 2014   ·   0 Comments

After dealing with the contentious issue of horse racing in Ontario herself for over a year, Premier Kathleen Wynne recently announced that Peterborough MPP Jeff Leal would be taking over as Minister of Agriculture and Food.

Leal will now be tasked with continuing the government’s plan in re-establishing horse racing in Ontario after the Slots and Racetracks program officially ended last year.

Members of the Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association [OHRIA] recently said in a statement that they see Leal’s appointment as a positive step.

“The past two years have seen tremendous changes for our industry, with significant issues that need to be addressed and Minister Leal has already demonstrated through word and action a genuine concern for the horse racing and breeding industry,” said Sue Leslie, President and Chair of OHRIA. “We expect the government will be a strong partner in tackling these concerns in the next few months.”

The OHRIA release went on to explain that the industry is still not out of the woods, as jobs are still hanging in the balance if the industry does not get back on track.

Former MPP John Snobelen, acting director of Ontario Horse Racing, has been involved in the restructuring of horse racing in Ontario and was also encouraged by Leal’s appointment to the agriculture portfolio.

“Nobody likes to see the Premier move away from the file, but we’re glad that Minister Leal is there,” he said. “He has had a lot to do with his local track in Peterborough, so he’s well connected to the file, he’s obviously in favour of horse racing and has been since the beginning. We’re looking forward to working with him.”

As acting director of OHR, Snobelen was appointed to work on the government’s transition panel to figure out the best way to stabilize the horse racing industry.

After nearly two years of work, Snobelen said there is still a lot to be done, but he is encouraged about where things are headed.

One of the biggest positives is an alliance of race tracks that has developed over the past year.

“We’re really excited that the alliance of tracks, or the core alliance of tracks, has formed and seems to be working really well,” he said. “I think a lot of people thought it would be a challenge and it seems to be working extraordinarily well.”

Snobelen said eight tracks have agreed to work together in the alliance, including four tracks that offer A and B level standardbred racing.

“When they all operated as independent race tracks, that didn’t work very well, now they are operating together, thinking together and putting their product together, they can meet the needs of horsemen together, but also more importantly horse players,” he said.

“When they work together they can lower their costs and more importantly they can tie their signal into the market, so it is better received by horse players.”

Snobelen added that continued growth of self-governance within the industry and integrating horse racing with the gaming strategy are the two most important factors looking ahead and hopes the good momentum will continue.

“I am encouraged by the leadership that the industry has shown,” he said. “If you compare the mood among people today to the mood of people a year ago, it’s a dramatic change and I think people are looking forward to the future and they’re optimistic and so am I.

“We’ve got some challenges ahead, but I think we can meet all of them.”

By Jeff Doner

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