NEWS
Fort Erie to apply for conditional 2009 racing dates
Posted: Tuesday, October 28, 2008 3:13 PM
by Perry Lefko
The owner of Fort Erie will apply for conditional racing dates in 2009 but leave an option to withdraw before the meeting begins unless the government provides financial support.
Nordic Gaming Corp. spokesman Stephen Ayers said his company will submit an application to the Ontario Racing Commission for 78 race dates next year. The deadline for applying has long since passed, but the commission allowed a grace period for late filing.
Fort Erie’s 2008 racing season ends on Tuesday.
“Our application will be on the condition that we receive financial help from other stakeholders and interested parties in the track, failing which we reserve the right to cancel live racing at Fort Erie prior to the next race season,” Ayers said. “In any event, in order to operate next year, we need to apply for race dates at this time and to receive the necessary licenses.”
Ayers is claiming the track has lost $4-million annually during the past four years because of gaming competition in Niagara Falls, Ontario, which has two full-scale casinos, another casino in Niagara Falls, New York, and a casino in Buffalo, New York.
Collectively, the gaming facilities have cut into the business Ontario racetracks enjoyed when the province licensed slot machines at provincial racetracks in December, 1998. From the ‘99 season through the end of 2002, purses nearly doubled at Fort Erie from an average daily purse of $110,000 to $200,000.
Competition from the casinos combined with anti-smoking laws in Ontario, the soaring Canadian dollar, and difficulties in traveling across the border, however, combined to significantly impact border tracks, notably Fort Erie and Windsor Raceway.
This year, Fort Erie horsemen ran for pre-slots daily purses when the track faced economic difficulty.
Ayers said Nordic is hoping to receive support from a report commissioned by the government and released this year that recommended subsidizing border ovals hit hard by casinos.
“It’s not just us [that wants changes],” Ayers said. “It’s the border tracks that are bleeding and losing money. If the government wants to revitalize the industry—and I understood they do—this would help and not just our track.”
The president of the Ontario Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association said the situation is not good, but the group is looking for possible solutions.
“It’s a dire situation, that’s for sure,” Sue Leslie said.
Ayers also said Nordic has put its plans for a $300-million commercial/residential project next to the track on indefinite hold due to the unstable economy.
“It’s not the right time,” Ayers said. “The financial situation alters it in terms of timing.”
The project was scheduled to be built next to the track and would include upgrades to the backstretch and clubhouse.
Perry Lefko is an Ontario, Canada-based Thoroughbred Times correspondent
