Ontario Lottery And Gaming Corporation Conducting Post-Pandemic Economic Assessment Of Horse Racing

The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG), in partnership with horse racing groups and associations, is conducting a post-pandemic economic assessment to quantify the current economic impact of the Ontario horse racing industry. This will help OLG and the industry better understand how the horse racing landscape has changed since OLG's first comprehensive economic impact study, conducted in 2019.

In support of this important initiative, beginning on Jan. 9, 2024, a survey questionnaire will be made accessible through industry associations. Industry participants will be emailed a link to the study. Alternatively, if you have not already done so, you may click here to tell OLG which email address you would like the survey sent to. Participation is critical to help ensure the updated study captures a diverse range of data that accurately reflects the economic contribution of the industry.

The survey will be open from Jan. 9 to Feb. 9, 2024. It will take no more than 15 minutes for respondents to complete and will ask about operational and capital spending, as well as workforce details.

The updated study will provide an important refreshed baseline of validated information that can be relied on by industry members to engage in meaningful and productive discussions about the sector.

If you have any questions about this initiative, contact horseracingei@olg.ca.

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‘It’s More About The Ascent Of Our Entire Racing Program’: Kentucky Downs To Host First Grade 1 In 2024

Kentucky Downs' 2024 meet will stage its first Grade 1 stakes in track history, with the Franklin-Simpson for 3-year-old sprinters attaining the highest designation in American racing.

The 6 1/2-furlong Franklin-Simpson is the only stakes that the American Graded Stakes Committee promoted to a Grade 1 for this coming season. In addition, the Music City for 3-year-old filly sprinters was elevated to a Grade 2 from Grade 3 status. Kentucky Downs' elite all-grass meet runs Aug. 29 and 31 and Sept. 1, 5, 7, 8 and 11 in 2024.

Under the ownership headed by Ron Winchell and Marc Falcone the past four years, Kentucky Downs has added four Grade 3 stakes, its first (now at four) Grade 2 races and its first Grade 1.

“Ownership is laser-focused on the continued elevation of the racing product at their track, and we're appreciative of the recognition by the American Graded Stakes Committee,” said Ted Nicholson, Kentucky Downs' Vice President for Racing. “As delighted as we are about finally getting a Grade 1 stakes, it's more about the ascent of our entire racing program, with the Franklin-Simpson an exciting result.

“While we have offered among the highest purses in the world for several years, bringing it all together is the way the horsemen — owners and trainers — have embraced us.”

The Franklin-Simpson and Music City were among 11 Kentucky Downs stakes offering a purse of at least $1 million in 2023, including money from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund. Even without the supplemental money for registered Kentucky-breds, the Franklin-Simpson and Music City's $600,000 base purses are the most lucrative in America for their division.

“Kentucky Downs was a strong regional track when we took over ownership, and our immediate focus was to try to make it more national,” Winchell said. “With our first Grade 1 and with four Grade 2 races among our nine graded stakes, we've become entrenched in the national conversation. Our goal now is to make Kentucky Downs an international destination. Part of that is working hard to continue the upward migration of our stakes. We want the Franklin-Simpson to be our first – but not only – Grade 1.”

Graded stakes are those determined to be the best in the country, with Grade 1 races judged to be the best, followed by Grade 2 and Grade 3. The annual evaluations are made by the Thoroughbred Owners & Breeders Association's American Graded Stakes Committee, which rates stakes' strength based on the overall performances of their participants in recent years in order to provide a guide to the relative quality of bloodstock. To be eligible for grading, a stakes must meet purse minimums and have no restrictions on horses other than age and sex.

The graded stakes committee released the 2024 graded-stakes classifications on Saturday, announcing a total of 429 across the country, including 93 Grade 1 races. Nine of the Kentucky Downs' 15 eligible stakes are graded. The Franklin-Simpson is the only Grade 1 turf sprint for 3-year-olds.

Kentucky Downs' first graded stakes was the Kentucky Turf Cup, back in 2001. The track did not receive another graded stakes until 2017, when the track earned two. The Franklin-Simpson earned its first grading for 2019, advancing to a Grade 2 for 2021. The Music City, run for the first time in 2020, was conducted as a Grade 3 for the first time this year.

“The promotion of the Franklin-Simpson and its filly counterpart shows Kentucky Downs has been filling a void in the graded-stakes schedule” Nicholson said. “We're very proud that the Music City after only four runnings already is a Grade 2, and the Franklin-Simpson has established itself as the defining race for 3-year-old turf sprinters. We hope to see those horses back in 2024 in our corresponding Grade 2 stakes for older horses.”

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Hastings Racecourse Plans 15 Friday Night Race Dates In 2024

Hastings Racecourse staged four Friday Nights Under the Lights race cards in 2023 with each of them attracting enthusiastic crowds and noticeable increased wagering both on and off track.

“In fact, the response was so positive our Board of Directors was unanimously onside to increase Friday Night racing to 15 dates in 2024,” says David Milburn, President of The Horsemen's Benevolent & Protective Association (HBPA-BC). “Improving betting handles is the lifeblood of our industry.”
The 2024 Live Racing Calendar at Hastings launches Saturday, April 27 and ends Sunday, October 20. The 15 Friday Night cards begin May 10 and run through September 6, all with 7 p.m. PDT start times.

“We're so pleased the Hastings horsemen and horsewomen were willing to be flexible and go with 15 Friday Nights,” says Dawn Lupul, Manager of Racing & Communications. “Not only do Friday nights attract a younger demographic on site, they also fill a void for our simulcast audience in different markets with different time zones throughout North America and worldwide for that matter.”

The total 45 race dates in 2024 also include 21 Saturday afternoons and six Sunday afternoons with new 2:30 p.m. PDT start times, two holiday Monday matinee cards on Canada Day July 1 and BC Day August 5, as well as a 7 p.m. start on Monday, August 26 during the PNE Fair. (Hastings Racecourse 2024 Live Racing Calendar attached).

The 2024 Hastings Stakes schedule will be announced in the new year.

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NTRA Renews Sales, Marketing Partnership With John Deere

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) announced Friday that John Deere, the world's largest manufacturer of agricultural equipment, has renewed its sales and marketing partnership with the NTRA for an additional three years. Consistent with its long-standing NTRA deal, John Deere will continue in its role as the Exclusive Equipment Supplier to the NTRA and also maintain its participation in the NTRA Advantage group purchasing program.

“John Deere tractors and horse racing go hand in hand,” said NTRA President and CEO Tom Rooney. “We are thrilled to renew our partnership with this great American company for another three years.”

As part of the agreement, NTRA members will continue to be able to purchase or lease John Deere agricultural tractors, equipment, and implements with preferred member discounts, warranty programs, and competitive financing packages.

“The Thoroughbred industry remains a vital and important market for our products and services,” said Auston Till, Manager Partner Sales, John Deere Ag & Turf. “We greatly value our relationship with the NTRA and we look forward to continuing our partnership with the NTRA and its members.”

“We're delighted to extend our deal with John Deere,” said Fritz Widaman, Senior Vice President of NTRA Advantage. “Thanks to this agreement, NTRA members who have always relied on John Deere's outstanding equipment will continue to enjoy special pricing from a world-class company that also supports our industry through substantial marketing and sponsorship spending.”

NTRA members that can realize savings through NTRA Advantage include racetracks, owners, breeders, and trainers. Equine organizations utilizing the Advantage program extend well beyond the realm of Thoroughbred racing. Participating organizations include the American Quarter Horse Association, the U.S. Equestrian Federation, the U.S. Trotting Association, Harness Tracks of America, the American Paint Horse Association, and the U.S. Polo Association.

Additionally, those who make purchases through NTRA's Advantage program can utilize the tax incentive program called Bonus Depreciation. Bonus Depreciation is a tax incentive designed to stimulate business investment that allows the taxpaying company to accelerate the depreciation of qualifying assets such as equipment like John Deere tractors. Through the end of 2023, businesses are able to deduct 80% of the cost of qualifying property for business purposes from taxable income. This deduction amount will phase down to 60% in 2024, which is why NTRA is encouraging racetracks, farms, and other industry businesses to consult their tax advisors on how to best utilize this incentive prior to the end of the year.

In 2022, the NTRA Advantage program topped the $1 billion sales mark with savings to the horse industry approximately $180 million since the inception of the NTRA's group purchasing arm in 2002. NTRA Official Suppliers include such nationally known vendors as John Deere, Big Ass Fans, Sherwin-Williams, ODP Business Solutions and Farmers Insurance.

The NTRA, based in Lexington, Ky. and Washington, D.C., is a broad-based coalition of more than 100 horse racing interests and thousands of individual stakeholders consisting of horseplayers, racetrack operators, owners, breeders, trainers and affiliated horse racing associations, charged with increasing the popularity, welfare and integrity of Thoroughbred racing.

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