Five more years of horse racing at Fraser Downs

CLOVERDALE — After a great deal of negotiation, Fraser Downs Racetrack and Casino is guaranteed five more years of live harness racing.

Stakeholders in the B.C Horse Racing Industry, including the Great Canadian Gaming Corporation, were stuck at an impasse for months over training and operation costs, leading many to wonder about the future of racing at the track. However an agreement was reached on Friday that resulted in a multi-year funding arrangement. It builds off of the 2012 business model and ensures several more years of operation for both Hastings and Fraser Downs racetracks.

Chuck Keeling, executive director of stakeholder relations at Great Canadian Gaming believes they’ve been able to implement a long term plan.

“At the end of the day, we think the most important issue that was achieved was that there was certainty and stability coming out of this,” he said. “Everybody knows where they stand as it relates to the revenue share, the length of the season and the number of race days at both racetracks.”

The agreement gives Fraser Downs 34 approved race days from January to April and 37 race days in the September to December timeframe.

It also means that in 2015, the Fraser Downs season will decrease from 71 days to 62 days over seven months.

Like any negotiation, Keeling says that each party didn’t come out with everything they were looking for, but nevertheless, they reached a consensus.

“It’s not just us investing in the business as track operators, but it’s the breeders and it’s the horse people going out and buying the horses. Everybody knows what they’re working with now in terms of trying to get a return on their investment,” he said.

Fraser Downs is the largest employer in the Cloverdale community and according to Paul Orazietti, executive director of the Cloverdale Business Improvement Association, plays an integral role in the success of local businesses.

"The people who work there are very loyal customers to the town centre and the racetrack brings people out to events and activities within the community,” said Orazietti. “So having this [agreement] in place really gives a future for the horsemen and obviously a lot of this right now is a two way street. Ultimately they also have to work with the operators to try to be more innovative to bring people out to the races again." 

Orazietti added he is supportive of the agreement and noted that horse racing has been under pressure for a number of years with the competitive forces of the entertainment industry.

Both Keeling and Orazietti believe that working towards a sustainable future requires engagement on all levels of the industry.

The B.C. government, the Lottery Corporation, those members in the horse business are all required to work together to “focus on trying to build the business, build the industry and build the marketplace for it,” Keeling said. “That is the number one challenge for all of us and it has been for a long time.”

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