Open and shut · 22.03.09


Fort Erie
As reported previously, Ontario’s Fort Erie Racetrack — home of the second jewel in Canada’s Triple Crown, the Prince of Wales Stakes — has been in danger of shutting down since last year. However, on 12 March a three-member consortium announced that they had come to an agreement to buy the track from its owners, Nordic Gaming Corp. The consortium, calling itself the Fort Erie Racing Thoroughbred Consortium Group, has forwarded a non-refundable deposit of $2.25-million to Nordic, and now has 90 days to come up with a business plan and find additional funding from outside sources. Nordic Gaming, meanwhile, will guarantee racing for the 2009 season.

Hialeah
Legendary Hialeah Park was closed to racing in 2001. Since then there have been several attempts to re-open it — most prominently tech entrepreneur Halsey Minor’s attempt to buy the track last year. Now it looks like Hialeah might actually re-open, as Florida gaming regulators have granted it a new racing permit. With the real estate market in shambles, but gambling on the rise, owner John Brunetti hopes to re-open Hialeah — as a quarter-horse track.

Hastings
Vancouver’s Hastings Racecourse will be forced to close for more than a month during the 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics. While live racing won’t be affected (the season doesn’t start until April), Hastings’ food and beverage facilities, simulcast betting facility and 600-slot casino will shut down. Not only will this result in some 200 workers being laid-off for that period — Hastings will loose more than a month’s revenue, which adversely affect purse structures, and thus the quality of racing, later that year. The official reason: security concerns, as the track is directly adjacent to the Pacific Coliseum, which will host figure skating and short-track speed skating events. Other possible reasons: 1) VANOC (the local organizing committee) might want access to the parking facilities that would otherwise be occupied by slot-players and horseplayers; 2) VANOC and the IOC don’t want “degenerate gamblers” and related stereotypical shady types anywhere near their precious Olympics.

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What do you think?

  1. All of the simulcast people who work to keep the racing signals alive at Hasting’s are forced to swallow a months loss of salary. My wife, who works at BCIT, is being forced to take her holidays during the same time period as the town is being held hostage to this malarkey.

    — Dr. TImothy Yatcak · Mar 23, 09:44 AM · #

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