Final Blog of the Meet

Well the meet is finally over and it has been interesting. Through a continued downtrend in our horse population, bad weather, and a nasty horse virus, we managed to get through it all. I saw a change in our handle figures back in July when I noted in my July 22 blog that there was a good chance that we could finish the meet actually up a few points. We did just that. But just a few.

Here are a few numbers.

The handle was up by approximately 4.70%. It will be interesting to see how the purse account finished. The rise in handle helps but we also cut the takeout on several bets. Further we had to deal with a weak USD for most of the meet. This hurts all of our USD bets. The total amount of horses that ran at Hastings was 821 down from 881 in 2010. The leading trainer was Troy Taylor with 53 wins and earnings of $1,046,322. The leading rider was Richard Hamel with 88 wins, however it should be pointed out that Mario Gutierrez led in earnings with $1,488,473. And finally the leading owners were Glen Todd and Patrick Kinsella with 58 wins. It should be noted that in the North America rankings Glen and Patrick rank 48th in earnings and 11th in wins. The total number of starters for the meet were 3969 and the field size was 7.22. It will be my guess that the ontrack handle will have fallen by more than 5% over last year. Later in the winter I will talk more about numbers in much greater detail with regards to our meet.

(Note Dollar amounts are not CAD adjusted and are from Equibase)

HBPA Annual General Meeting

Last Thursday the HBPA held their annual general meeting in the “cookshack” and there was a very good turnout. There were the usual formalities that you find at all AGM’s and it was pretty well straight forward. The financial statement does show how difficult it is to balance the books because of the funding shortage which of course is due to BC TOBA now receiving funding which should have gone to the HBPA. Items such as dental programs, cable TV……….all cost money. BCToba does not pay for any of this. However BCToba did pay a portion of the liability insurance as noted in their August 18th news release………FROM THE PURSE ACCOUNT………. Go figure!

Bill McNeill from TBC…..spoke and gave an outline of how things were doing. He continues to do a fine job at TBC and I am sure everyone was grateful for him taking the time to come out and give his report.

Glen Todd our “Management Racing Committee” representative gave a talk on our situation for this year and what was in store for next. He did announce that training would commence January 20, 2012 and that the indication was for the meet to go from April 14 to Oct 14. Now I have talked on this subject in several postings and firmly believe that our meet should go to Breeders Cup which is the end of October into November. Breeders Cup is a natural finishing point for our meet. Incidentally David Milburn who chaired the meeting asked for a straw vote on the subject and 97% of the room was in favour of the meet going to Breeders Cup. I repeat 97%!

Glen did mention that we faced some challenges next year with regards to funding. The question remains in can we afford to continue paying the BC Bred bonus at 25%? Will this have to be reduced? Then there is the 6 to 12 payments at $600 to each 6 to 12 finisher. Can this continue at this amount?
There is also the matter of the $750,000 overpayment that has to be paid back to the government. Also there is talk of establishing a contingency fund to protect against continued revenue declines. All I can say to this is I do not envy the job that Glen has in front of him in trying to balance the books for the 2012 meet. He will have some tough decisions to make and undoubtedly not everyone will be happy with what the final result will be. Best of luck to you Glen…….I am watching and waiting. One item that I questioned Glen on was with regard to the extra funds needed by Great Canadian to run the lengthened Standardbred meet for next year. We all heard that not a dime would come from the Thoroughbred sector. Good news! I can put that topic to bed…….I think.

After the meeting was finished I must say I was disappointed that the question of which organization will represent owners, trainers and breeders is still not settled. I counted 102 present at the HBPA AGM. I am told there were 23 present at the BCTOBA AGM on Saturday. I believe that included a number of directors. Their website lists 8. That means how many members attended the BCTOBA meeting????

This question must be settled. The majority of us are not members of this society. The HBPA stated that there would be early elections in the first part of next year. So this question will have to be dealt with by a new Board of Directors. It was also mentioned by David that Debbie Peebles would not run again.

And finally I will remind everyone with regards to the continued slide in the Standardbred sector. The “Management Racing Committee” has clearly stated in several posted letters on the GPEB website that it is the Standardbred sector that is contributing nearly all of the losses that the rest of us must all bear. More specifically the “committee” has stated that the Standardbred sector will be held to a number of performance measures for the 2012 meet including a 2% increase in standardbred wagering. I will be watching this very closely. However I will say I really wish the “committee” would come out and say why they have refused so far, to adjust the allotment percentages to each breed. In spite of the year that the Thoroughbred sector just went through when compared to the disaster over on the Standardbred side it is hard to imagine that we still are at 29.27% thoroughbreds and 19.49% standardbreds.

About this Blog

This blog was started back in May for one reason. I found it extremely difficult to find proper information from the discussions of our racing committee. There just was very little information being published. As of today there still has never been a set of “committee” minutes ever been released! Never! Now there is what is called a “Record of Decisions” which is a brief outline of committee meetings. Hardly what you can call minutes. However there are other ways to obtain information through the appropriate channels that I am exploring.

I am off Wednesday night for North Africa and the Middle East and so my postings will be shorter in length during the next month. However I will be watching with great interest. I have to say that I am probably the only guy in the world who will sit in a sidewalk café in Cairo gazing at the Pyramids as he writes a blog on Hastings Racing.

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HBPA of BC ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

On Thursday, September 29, 2011 the HBPA of BC will hold it's Annual General Meeting in the Horsemen's Grill (Cook shack) at 7:00pm. It is important that all members make a supreme effort to attend this meeting. We face many issues and this will be your opportunity to express your thoughts, concerns and ideas to the Board of Directors of the HBPA on how you wish them to proceed in the future. Anything and everything is on the table. The members of the HBPA, meaning you, must show the entire horse racing industry that the HBPA should be the only voice that represents the Thoroughbred sector on all racing matters. Your presence Thursday night does just that.  

When: Thursday, September 29, 2011 at 7:00pm
Where: Horsemen's Grill (Cook shack)
Food will be served at the conclusion of the meeting.

I look forward to seeing all trainers, owners and breeders at this very important meeting. Please make the effort and be there!

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A Letter To.......................

September 16, 2011

The Honorable Shirley Bond,

In writing this letter to you I must be forthright from the start. I am a member of the (HBPA) Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association of British Columbia and have been for the last 10 years or so of which I have owned horses at Hastings Racetrack.

This particular letter is with regards to the continuing troublesome situation regarding an issue which is severely hampering the thoroughbred sector from moving forwards due to a lack of a unified voice. It is my personal belief that the “BC Horse Racing Industry Management Committee” acted inappropriately and without merit when several members of the “Committee” chose to recognize a new rival horsemen’s group in that of BCTOBA over the long time existing group in that of the HBPA. This was largely due to personality conflicts between certain “Committee” members and several Board of Directors of the HBPA. This very unorthodox action by the “Committee” has resulted in funding to the HBPA being cut in half for 2011. Because of this, a number of HBPA programs have had to be discontinued. This has distressed many members of the HBPA and its Directors.

The HBPA has been a recognized society for nearly 40 years. It has represented owners and trainers throughout their existence. All of the Board of Directors were voted into office in a manner that is in keeping with the laws of British Columbia. Any qualified member of BCTOBA the newly formed group was always free to stand for election as a Director. At present none of the Directors were voted into office at BC Toba and therefore do not represent the vast majority of individuals who make up our industry. They appointed themselves. The “ Committee” had no right or authority to recognize BCTOBA and all but dismiss the importance of the elected body of Directors of the HBPA. Further in May of this year the “Committee” agreed to assign the responsibilities of the all-important “purse” account to BCTOBA without any consultation with the HBPA before hand. These actions by the “Committee” are astonishing and are not in keeping with the democratic ways in the Province of British Columbia. This “Committee” is an extension of the British Columbia Government and should never act in a way that favors one society over another. This action is unprecedented. Because of these and other actions of this “Committee” there is much dissention amongst the owners, trainers and breeders and moral is very low.

In August of this year a petition was circulated in the backstretch of Hastings Racetrack asking that the members of both groups decide amongst themselves whom shall be the organization that represents the groups involved by way of vote. Over 300 owners, trainers and breeders signed the petition that was spearheaded by a member of the HBPA. The number could have easily reached in excess of 400 but in the interest of holding an election between the two groups as soon as possible and certainly before the end of the meet, the petition was presented to the HBPA Board of Directors. The HBPA were now given a mandate to ask BCTOBA to hold an election between the two societies and decide once and for all who would represent the Thoroughbred sector. The HBPA wrote BCTOBA asking for an election but BCTOBA outright refused. This is understandable as they are reported to have no more than 90 to 140 members. The HBPA easily had over 400 members ready to stand by their society.

The “Committee” was well aware of what was happening and should have reversed their stand to support BCTOBA, but did nothing. It is not the place of the “Committee” members to choose sides. That is the business of the industry participants i.e. owners, trainers and breeders who are the only ones who should decide who their representatives are. This is how the system has worked in Canada since 1867. The system works well and many a Prime minister, Premier, MLA and high school class president have been elected using this very method of choosing representation. The HBPA and its elected Board of Directors also used this method of determining representation. The “Committee” has wrongly interfered in this democratic process and had no right to choose for the industry who should represent them.


And finally it is very important to note that the HBPA is the official representative organization in every racing jurisdiction in Canada and nearly all jurisdictions throughout the United States. At present there are more than 35,000 members of the HBPA throughout North America focused on a common goal of the betterment of racing at all levels.

In view of the above, I respectively ask that you do the following:

• Have the “Committee” recognize that the HBPA are the sole representatives for the Thoroughbred sector and only the HBPA be present in industry meetings.
• Strike BCTOBA from the industry agreement as signatories as they were never part of the original agreement and signed after the fact without the knowledge of the HBPA
• Further only the HBPA should be present as representatives in any financial sub-committee meetings
• At seasons end turn over the responsibility of the purse account to the HBPA
• Call for an immediate accounting of the funds allocated to BCTOBA and have the balance transferred to the HBPA.

I am well aware that you are an extremely busy individual and have recently taken on the added responsibilities as Attorney General. I would fully understand if you turned this matter over to another individual in your office or the Attorney General’s office itself to look into this important matter.

Best Regards,

Michael Robert Bye

Resident North Vancouver

G&G Stable Owner at Hastings Racetrack

Disclosure

Please note that this is an open letter and has been posted on a blog that I author.http://blogbritishcolumbiahorseracing.blogspot.com/

CC:
Honorable Naomi Yamamoto
North Vancouver-Lonsdale

Honorable Rich Coleman
Fort Langley-Aldergrove

Assistant Deputy Minister - Gaming Policy & Enforcement
Douglas S Scott

Links to letters between the HBPA and BCTOBA

Letter to the BCTOBA asking for participation in an election
Response from BCTOBA refusing
Response back to BCTOBA

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BC DERBY DAY SEPTEMBER 11.......BE THERE!

Dear Members of the Management Racing Committee
I recently returned home from a trip back east only to find a deepening rift between two rival groups, a posting of financial numbers on the GPEB website that beg many questions and a very uncertain future.

In the record of Decisions dated July 27, 2011 and posted on the GPEB website I read the following.

“an overpayment of $750,000 made in government’s grant to industry in 2010 must be deducted from the $10.0 million commitment in 2012”
Please explain the above. I cannot find any reference to any overpayment in any posting on the GPEB website that talks to the above. I did find in a November 24, 2010 posting the following………

“as of September 30th 2010 industry finances were $725,000 ahead of the$44.41 million forecast, of which $260,000 must be used to offset corresponding operating costs. The small surplus has not yet been committed for any specific use”.
I also read the February 08, 2011 Financial Review of the 2010 year but again there is no mention anywhere of an overpayment of any kind. So in view of the above how do you explain that we now have to pay back an overpayment of $750,000? I do feel that an explanation on the accounting indicated above is in order.

I also found in the same record of decisions the following…….

“The Committee considered the cost implications of the extended standardbred season which GCGC presented and was confident with those costs”
I am pleased that the committee is confident with the costs that are attributed to the extended Standardbred season for 2012. I am certain that Great Canadian would have made sure that these extra costs would be manageable and kept to a minimum.

However………. please note that if any of these extra costs needed to run the 10 month standardbred meet are passed on to the Thoroughbred sector through the allocations, I can assure this committee that there will be many, many very unhappy people. In fact I can with a very high degree of certainty state to the committee that every owner, breeder and trainer will be highly insulted. This is in view of the fact that it is the Standardbred sector that this committee has identified as the main source of losses attributed to the industry in 2011. It is the same committee that granted a 10 month 82 day meet to the Standardbred sector while at present have indicated that no increase in days or any lengthening of the meet is in store for the thoroughbred sector. Asking the thoroughbred sector to pay even $1 towards the extra costs of running the standardbred meet would be highly insulting.

And finally these items also appeared in the same record of decisions.

“the 800,000 marketing fund managed by the BCLC will be continued in 2012, but will include the salary costs of the Director of Racing Sustainability”
So when you really think about it……..If our budget is 46 million dollars for 2012 of which $10,000,000 in revenue comes from the government grant/casino slot revenue, one could say that a percentage of the Director of Racing’s salary now comes from our slot revenue.

Was this the original intent of the slot revenue?

Can you please advise me who the new Director of Racing will be and what will be the salary?

“The Committee considered the possibility of establishing a float fund to facilitate the management of the industry account in 2012 and beyond; and establishing a contingency fund to protect against continued revenue declines throughout the 2012 calendar year and limit the requirement to reduce allocations during the year”
And so the question I ask is this………If these two items come to be, if the industry will have to pay the salary of the “Director of Racing” and if we now need to come up with $750,000 for the above announced overpayment……….what’s left?
 As posted August 18, 2011 on the GPEB Website.

“This adjustment will bring total revenue projections from $48.05 million (as projected at the beginning of the year) down to $46.09 million. This reflects a total decline of $1,964,000. While this adjustment has been caused primarily due to a decline in wagering at Fraser Downs, it reflects a decline in betting on both thoroughbred and standardbred racing”.
I will further add that in Glen Todd’s "Derby" newsletter this morning September 09th he points out that with regards to live betting at both tracks which is $3,000,000, Fraser Downs only produces $500,000.
And so the question begs………why are the allotment percentages not adjusted to reflect the above numbers? Why are not the allotment percentages more in line such as 35% and 15%?

One further point somewhat related to my first comments at the top of this posting. In searching for information related to the $750,000 that needs to be paid back, this thought came up.


Derek Sturko wrote on November 24th the following.

“As of September 30th 2010 industry finances were $725,000 ahead of the $44.41 million forecast, of which $260,000 must be used to offset corresponding operating costs. The small surplus has not yet been committed for any specific use”.
So using simple arithmetic that means that the net on September 30, 2010 was ahead by $725,000 minus $260,000 or $465,000.

This appeared In the Derby Bar and Grill newsletter dated October 02, 2010.

“There are only 3 racing days left after this weekend as next weekend is Thanksgiving and Hastings will run Saturday, Sunday and Monday. The CTHS has dropped the BC Bred Bonus on all four stakes races scheduled for next weekend. The Jack and Sadie Diamond Futurity’s, The Ballerina has been cut back to $80,000 with $20,000 extra available for Breeders Cup eligible fillies and mares which still keeps as a Grade 3 Stake race and Premiers Championship all will not have the BC Bred Bonus attached. The Pacific Customs Brokers Ltd. Marathon #5 has been cut already to use the funds for overnite races on the final weekend. Management has to cover a shortfall of approximately $164,000 on the final weekend to stay within our purse allocation for 2010. After this weekend’s races and total purse pool for this weekend is tallied, management will have to make some more decisions on the number of races for closing weekend and the more changes can be expected."
So my question to the committee is this. If we were ahead as of September 30, 2010 as evidenced by Derek Sturko’s letter why did we have to have a purse cut because of a $164,000 shortfall. What shortfall? If my memory serves me correctly did we not run every overnight for the same purse amount because we were desperate to conserve funds from the purse account?

Is it possible that at the end of September we just did not have a proper set of numbers but by November we had a much better picture where we stood? If indeed this was the case, would it not be appropriate to pay back to all those who ran on October 09, 10 and October 11, 2010 money they should have made before the purse cut? It seems to me the fair thing to do considering that maybe we were never behind.

And finally……..
Why has there not been an informational meeting scheduled for this year? Was it not mandated in the original agreement that at least once a year the Committee would hold a forum for the industry to speak directly to the Committee and express our concerns. I strongly believe that in the next three weeks before the meet is over and many leave for tracks in southwest such a meeting be scheduled.

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How we should look for 2012..........

Below is a calendar of how the meet should look for 2012. It is 77 days, 6 more than in 2011. The increase reflects the same amount of days that the Standardbred sector has received.

Important Points 

• No Friday night racing in April or May
• Never do we run 5 in 8 days or 6 in 9 days 
• We extend the meet to November 03

We have 7 “Premier” days of racing.

May 21 Victoria Day

July 01 Canada Day

August 06 BC Cup

Sept 03 Labour Day

Sept 15 BC Derby

October 15 Thanksgiving 

November 02 and 03 Breeders Cup

The last 2 days of racing we finish on Breeders Cup weekend.

Between the two days we run 4 stakes races and 16 overnights.

By extending the meet to November 03 we potentially increase starts per horse by two. Trainers have less of a need to go South for the winter with the longer meet. If the Standardbred sector is unhappy with a meet as such, well that is unfortunate but the Thoroughbred sector needs to assert itself. We cannot continue to take backward steps and expect to survive. Status quo is a backward step. The Thoroughbred sector has stepped up to the plate this year in spite of all that has been against them while the Standardbred sector has disintegrated of which we the bear the consequences.

To the Management Racing Committee……

Owners need a valid reason to buy more horses. A meet for 2012 that does not look similar to the above will do nothing to help the situation. Each member of the "committee" needs to understand that a contributing factor in why we have lost horses the last three years is because owners have less opportunity to run. Our meet has become shorter and shorter.

In 2009 we finished the meet November 07th - The horse pool was 1030.

In 2010 we finished October 11th – The horse pool was 881.

In 2011 we finish October 02nd – The horse pool will be in the 745 range.

By lengthening the meet it gives an owner more opportunity to run a horse and regain his expenses. Finishing in early October leaves nearly 7 months before he or she can once again run their horses.

We need the "committee" to address these three areas..............  

• A meet with 77 days that concludes on Breeders Cup Day.
• An adjustment to the allocation percentages that each breed receives to a 3 to 1 ratio for the Thoroughbred sector which is what the handle ratio is.
• A re-configuring of the $10,000,000 grant/casino revenue that is more in line in delivering the revenue that was originally promised to the Thoroughbred sector.

Only when these three items are adjusted will there be a material recovery in the Thoroughbred sector.

Now please go back up to the top and do the poll.

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Only 18 Race Days Left ……Where did it all go……

It is hard to believe that there are only 18 race days left in the meet. However there is some interesting racing coming up including the “Mile” in Seattle on Sunday and of course our BC Derby September 11th. To the owners and trainers that are running in Seattle on Sunday in the Longacres Mile…. the best of luck. It is always my hope that when our “own” ship out they come back with the money.

This Friday at Hastings will be interesting as in the first three races there are 30 two year olds running. Race two and three are stakes races. Post time for race one is 7:00pm.

As of day 53 the handle is almost equal to last year. And that folks is pretty darn good. Considering all that has been stacked up against us it is actually quite remarkable. To date we have run 404 races. Last year at this same time we ran 429 races. Our average handle is up and our average handle per 8 race card is up. However that’s the good news. The bad news is that our field size is now 7.05. This is not a good thing as we live and die by field size. Last year there were 881 horses that ran here at Hastings owned by 488 different owner entities. This year so far there has been 709 horses run and as you can see that is down considerably from last year. However with a little luck we may hit 740-750. It is next year that I worry about and worry a lot. More on that in future blogs.

The leading owners are Patrick Kinsella and Glen Todd. I thought I would switch the order around this time. They now have 47 wins and earnings of $764,090. They had 47 wins all of last year and 41 wins in 2009. The leading trainer is Troy Taylor with 43 wins. The second leading owner is Swift Thoroughbreds with $380,631 in earnings. The second leading trainer is Craig MacPherson with 24 wins.

Here are some interesting owner numbers from Equibase. The top 75 owners have 279 wins from 1157 starts. The remaining 366 owners have 125 wins from 1692 starts.

Within the next several weeks the Jockey Club will be releasing the “mares bred” numbers. On Saturday they announced that “The Jockey Club is projecting a 2012 North American registered Thoroughbred foal crop of 24,700, a decline of 8.5% from the estimate of 27,000 registered foals for 2011. The 2012 foal crop is projected to be the smallest foal crop since 1971, when 24,301 foals were registered”. Stay tuned.

Press Release

Returning to the site of some of the most successful events in its 27-year history, the 2012 Breeders’ Cup World Championships will be held at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., on Friday, Nov. 2 and Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012, Breeders’ Cup Limited announced today at a press conference at LA Live. Santa Anita has hosted the Breeders’ Cup World Championships five times, most recently back-to-back editions in 2008 and 2009, both of which set records for attendance and wagering. The decision followed a lengthy review process by the Breeders’ Cup Host Site Selection Committee, which included proposals from multiple racing venues in North America. “We are thrilled to bring back the Breeders’ Cup to southern California which is always a strong draw for horse racing fans from around the world and where the Breeders’ Cup has always been embraced by the community,” said Craig Fravel, President & CEO of Breeders’ Cup. “Santa Anita Park is a world class racing venue that will once again provide a spectacular setting for two days of the best in international racing.”

The Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Thoroughbred racing’s most prestigious global event, annually attracts the best horses from around the world. It is the richest prize-money event in sports, consisting of 15 races and purses totaling $26 million. The 29th Breeders’ Cup will be televised on ABC/ESPN and to more than 130 countries. Over the past five years, the, Breeders’ Cup World Championships has experienced unprecedented growth, expanding from eight to 15 races, increasing prize money from $14 million to $26 million and growing total wagering from $140,332,198 to $173,339,131.


The reason I included this press release is that this is when our meet needs to conclude next year, on Breeders’ Cup Day, the biggest day of racing in North America. Each year our meet becomes shorter and shorter. This is a contributing factor in why we have less and less horses. There is simply less opportunity to run them. We also need to give reason to all of our trainers not to ship out to other tracks because of a shorter and shorter meet. Remove the Friday night racing in April and May. Take these days and add on 6 more days........the same amount of days that the Standardbred sector increased by and there you have 77 dates to November 03, 2012.

Owners get a potential of 2 more starts. Trainers get an extra month of training. Backstretch and frontstretch workers receive an extra month of work.
Our patrons get 1 month more of racing. Hastings can capitalize on two prime race dates Thanksgiving and Breeders Cup. Win win for everyone!

Ending on Breeders Cup day would be a perfect way to end the meet with two or three of our own stakes races. Run 12 races with an 11:00am start alternating with Breeders Cup races. Run a handicapping tournament. Guarantee a $25,000 pick Five. End the day with the “Au Revoir”. Where did that race disappear to? Make it a grand finish to the meet!!!

We just need to clear this with the Standardbred people and make sure they do not object to such an overlap between the two meets!!!!!!!!
We seem to have to accommodate everyone else. We move dates around because of the PNE. We change post times due to the Canucks, the Whitecaps and the Lions. It would be nice if just once someone else would adjust to our needs!!!  

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At Day 50 of our Meet.......................

Well here is where we are after the weekend and day 50 of the meet.

We have run 381 races with 2681 runners. Our field size has slipped to 7.04 which is largely due to the virus that has been going around the barn the last 2 weeks. We had 11 scratches on Sunday. Our handle is just under $21,000,000. Considering that we have run 24 less races when compared to the same point in time last year, it is not bad at all. Between weather, the horse shortage, the virus, and scheduling we really have held it together. The total number of horses that have run is 699. The leading owners are Glen Todd and Patrick Kinsella with 45 wins and earnings of $737,927. No surprise that Troy Taylor is leading trainer with 40 wins. Wando Women is the leading horse with $88,649 in earnings. Glen Todd and Patrick Kinsella are ranked in 49th spot in the North American owner rankings.

It was noted in the DRF on Sunday that an agreement was imminent with regards to paying each finish position 6 to 12 the amount of $600.00. I am happy to report that Our “Management Racing Committee” representative Glenn Todd and the HBPA worked out an agreement on this matter. A few of the logistics of it all still have to be ironed out but it will be retroactive to last Saturday. Hopefully this move will protect our fields going into the last month of the meet. It is vital that we finish strong as we hit the last few weeks of September. We urgently need horsemen to run horses and keep them here. Our horse population has fallen badly the last number of years and we need to stem the loss now. We live and die by our horse field size. Field size determines handle which determines our purses. We need to have our horse population in the 850 range to be able to build for the future. We also need to have a longer meet. Next year finishing on Breeders Cup day November 03 would go a long way to keeping more horses here. Trainers would have far less of a need to leave here and go south with horses.

The Richmond Derby Trial is this weekend and so that means that the BC Derby is not that far away. This is always one of our biggest days of the year and that day should be circled on everyone’s calendar. SEPTEMBER 11, 2011. And remember there will be 5 other stakes races that day.

Very shortly the Management Racing Committee will begin their process of setting the budget for 2012. Hopefully I have made enough noise on two points. The unfairness of the allotment percentages and the the split of the $10,000,000 government grant/slot revenue. I will be very keen to hear of any news on this matter. I am presently doing some research on some numbers that I have “found” and will be writing an interesting piece shortly.

The petition that was circulating in the backstretch has been turned in to the HBPA. Originally the goal was to gather 200 signatures. However 300 were obtained with relative ease and it would have reached more than 450 in a very short period of time. But the meet is marching on and it was thought best to turn the petition in and let the HBPA Board of Directors proceed from here.

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WOW........What a Day at the Track!

That is just about all one can say....................!

A Great Day

BC Cup was just a fabulous day. The crowd had to be one of the best in years. Probably close to 15,000 people were lined up everywhere to watch a great day of thrilling races. The handle was superb as it came in at $1,172,104 which was well above last year. In fact the handle on Monday was the best handle since 2009. We had 6 races in a row, 5 through 10 that topped $125,000 in handle per race. And even though there were 9 scratches mostly due to a virus running around the barn area the 80 horses that still were able to run was the largest total this year for any card.

BC Day Crowd was Huge

Some other points worth noting……………………….Trainer William La Vanway had his first stakes win ever and so congratulations on a job well done. The horse he conditions for Corsair Holdings “La Belle Rose” held off a late charge by “Camino” to win by a ½ length. She was 17 to 1. So well done William!

William LA Vanway and La Belle Rose winning the "Dogwood Handicap"

I do hope that the track photographer plans on sending a Christmas card to Glen Todd (3 wins) and Patrick Kinsella (2 wins). They were at it again as I counted three trophies, a hat, a bunch of flowers and at least 150 photos that will be required to keep everyone happy.

Bringing Home the Hardware

Also we bid farewell to a splendid horse in BR Remark as he was retired. BR Remark had a great career at Hastings and finished with a record of 38-9-2-11. In those 9 wins 3 were stakes victories. He was a personal favorite of mine as I cashed a number of tickets on him over the years. Trainer Brian Giesbrecht always had his horse ready for the races and BR Remark still holds the track record for 6 furlongs here at Hastings running in 1:092/5 carrying 124 pounds when he won the PNE President’s Speed Stakes August 30, 2008. BR Remark is a 9 year old gelding by Regal Remark.
Happy retirement fella.

Weekend Recap
After day 47 of the meet the handle is down 4.93%. However when you adjust for the missed races (15) we are off less than 1%. Considering what we have been up against this year this is remarkable. So far 694 horses have started in 366 races. Our field size has crept back up to 7.07. I am still convinced with a little luck and some continued better weather our handle will be up for the year come day 71. Remember there are still 18 stakes races left to run in the meet including the BC Derby G111 September 11th. There are 6 stakes races scheduled so there is no reason why that day cannot be as good as the one we just had.


The leading owners at the track are Glen Todd and Patrick Kinsella with 44 wins and earnings of $726,510. Swift Thoroughbreds are second with 17 wins and earnings of $346,277. The leading trainer is Troy Taylor with 40 wins followed by Craig MacPherson with 23 wins. Elizabeth E. Stolzenberg is in third spot with 20 wins but it is worth mentioning that she has a win percentage of 43% which is astounding. When you look at the North American standings for trainers with at least 40 starts she is in first spot. That is amazing. Good work Elizabeth. Incidentally Glen Todd and Patrick Kinsella are ranked in 48th spot in the North America owner rankings.


On a down note we had 21 scratches Saturday, Sunday and Monday. For the most part they were from the virus that has hit the barn area about 8 or 9 days ago.


The Last Word
The one last comment I will make is to Hastings Management. The horsemen came through when they needed to with 89 horses entered for the 10 Races at BC Cup. And in spite of the scratches, they put on a hell of a good show. Please, don’t even think of running a meet next year without extending it to the end of October. In spite of the weather, owner/ horse shortage, virus and other scheduled events, all of the owners, trainers, jockeys, jockey agents, exercise riders and all of the barn area workers have come through on BC Cup Day which was fabulous. Anything short of what the Standardbred sector received will not sit well with very many owners, trainers or breeders. With some fair funding and a meet that keeps trainers here instead of chasing them south, this track can and will thrive. We still have to figure a number of things out but if you can still get 15,000 people to come out to the track…..then horse racing is still alive and well and living in Vancouver.


But if I have to, I will phone the Standardbred boys over there at Fraser Downs, (I don’t dare go there) and get the addresses of Minister Rich Coleman, Minister Kevin Falcon and Minister Shirley Bond. They wrote a letter to each of them asking for a longer meet and were handed 82 days over 10 months. I am quite prepared to do the same.

Now reaching over 570 owners, trainers, breeders, jockeys, jockey agents,
Hastings Management, BCLC, and the Management Racing Committee.
2387 site visits up to and including August 02, 2011

See you at the Races,

Michael Robert Bye

Owner G&G Stable


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Revisiting the Numbers

Remember, BC Cup Day is on Monday. Post time is 12:20pm. With 10 great races it should prove to be a great day of racing. Everyone should make an attempt to be there. The weather forecast is looking good and so we should have a bright sunny warm day.

Here I am again revisiting the numbers that make up the budget for 2011. Below you will see a more detailed chart then the last one that I put up. The first two numbers to look at are items 1 and 2.

These two amounts represent the net revenue that was expected from the handle for both racing sectors. You will note that the Standardbred sector was expected to bring in 45.68% of what the Thoroughbred sector did. Now look at items 22 and 23. Why is the Standardbred sector receiving 66.80% of what we are receiving? It is 21.12% more than what they brought in relative to what the Thoroughbred sector brought in. So for starters the allotment % has been unfair from the very start. Then what happens …..disaster hits the Standardbred side and their handle for the meet January through April plummets to a point where now their expected revenue for the year is approximately $3,000,000 and the Thoroughbred Sector revenue is expected to be 9,900,000. So now the standardbred sector is producing only 30% of what the Thoroughbred sector produces. And what happens next. The Management Racing Committee announces a 10 month, 82 day meet rewarding them with 6 more dates in 2012 than in 2011. A head scratcher to say the least. Well if this is the case then the thoroughbred sector can expect 88 days and right through to Breeders Cup the beginning of November, Right?....Wrong!....More likely they will try and cut the Thoroughbred sector back to 61 days and we finish on Labour Day. Next year the allotment percentages must change to commensurate each breeds handle. Here is what is fair for next year……. 37.25% vs. 12.50%.This allotment percentage is in line with the expected handles for 2012. Now why do I keep revisiting this? Because we cannot expect the Management Racing Committee to adjust the budget midstream. It would throw everything out of balance. But I do expect an allotment percentage adjustment for the 2012 budget. And I have to keep hitting home on this point. The future of our industry is at stake and we must receive a fair allocation of the available funds.

Now the other matter that I have a problem with is the $10,000,000 grant item 3. Now I touched on this item also last blog. The point I am trying to make in all of this is why does Great Canadian receive any part of this grant at all. The original makeup of the $10,000,000 at the beginning of the year was 60% slot money that was meant to go into the purse account. It was never intended to go to Great Canadian as part of their operating budget. Also, if it is a $10,000,000 grant with slot money no longer part of the equation….where did the $6,000,000 go to that was being paid to both breeds? Even the Standardbred sector should be questioning this. So the bottom line of this is, there are many more question then answers on exactly what, when, why and where our slot money actually is???
Remember one more thing. It is bound to cost Great Canadian more money to run the meet next year at Fraser Downs. Where are those extra costs going to come from? Stay tuned as more than likely the budget process has just begun and by the first part of December we will have an answer.

One last Note
I notice that there is always 2 or 3 that disagree with my postings. And that is just fine. I stand by what I write, I put my name to it and I do so because I want so much for this industry to not only survive but thrive. But for the few that hide behind a check mark and disagree, why don’t you step forward once in a while and state why you disagree by posting a comment.

New Kid
There is a new “kid” on the block and his name is Doug Scott. He will replace Derek Sturko as Assistant Deputy Minister, Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch (GBEB). I am trying to obtain his email address so as to keep him informed on entries and results over here……….. amongst other things!

See you all at the races on Monday. It should be a great day and it is important that as many people as possible attend and support one of our banner race days of the year.

Michael R Bye
Owner

Now reaching over 550 owners, trainers, breeders, jockeys, jockey agents,
Hastings Management, BCLC, and the Management Racing Committee.
2222 page hits as of July 30

Job Well Done …………..Not getting our Fair Share 101

As of Sunday July 24^th 683 horses have had at least one start at Hastings. In 2010 there were 881 horses that ran here. There are still 27 race days left in the meet so we will continue to add to the above total and probably finish the meet at about 750. In the total of 683 horses there are 72 two year olds that have started so far. As more and more two year olds do become race ready they will really help our bottom line. However there lies the problem for next year as only 108 yearlings have been cataloged for the CTHS Sale in September. We need every one of those horses sold! We desperately need more horses as we must stem the year over year horse population slide that has been with us for several years.  

Congratulations to all of the Workers from the Barn Area
Yesterday after the last race a horse went down in the backstretch due to heat exhaustion. Within minutes a brigade of workers from the barn area ran out with large buckets of water in attempt to revive the downed horse. Eventually she got to her feet and they were able to load her into the van and take her back to her stall where she is now doing fine. But there were some scary moments on the backstretch for a while. Once again job well done to all who ran to save the life of one of our own!

And a further congratulations to all of the trainers that are doing their out most best in entering horses Wednesday and Sunday mornings. While our horse pool is very low our field size is hanging tough at 7.06. Now do not get me wrong, this is not a good number and unless we find some horses for next year we will be in big trouble. But right now we have become very efficient with what we have. Trainers/owners should be commended for the effort. Also credit goes to the Racing Secretary. I do not always agree with all of the races written but considering how small our horse pool is Paul has done a fine job in managing our race cards. So to all the trainers out there who are finding horses to run and to the racing office………job well done.

Incidentally the card yesterday was not our best and there were no stakes races but there was a good crowd. Yes there was a good allowance race with Bonboni getting past Seminole Brave in the last few steps to the wire but the point is this. Sunday, the handle was our second best Sunday of the meet and our fourth best day of the year. I am convinced with a little luck we will claw our way back to even and that would be remarkable considering what we have been up against.  

Not Getting Our Fair Share 101
The chart below illustrates how little we receive of the original slot revenue that was promised to the thoroughbred sector. Out of the $10,000,000, $2,706,000 goes to TBC. The balance that is left is $7,294,000. Out of this Hastings receives $3,571,142 and the thoroughbred sector receives the $2,134,954. So why bring this up?

The statement below was taken from the........
Horse Racing Industry Business Plan -June 2011

“Prior to 2010/11, government has supported the horse racing industry financially via grants based on 15.5% of net slot revenues at the Hastings Park and Fraser Downs casinos, historically averaging approximately $5.8 million per year. For 2010/11, the government horse racing grant has been increased to $10 million. In subsequent years, the intent is to decouple this grant from slot revenue and fix this grant at $10 million”.

So whatever you want to call it…….a grant….or a partial grant with casino revenue, Great Canadian is receiving a portion of grant/slot revenue of which was never intended for them. Now the Management Racing Committee wants us to call it a $10,000,000 grant. So if we no longer receive any slot revenue that means that our share is going to Great Canadian and the BC Lottery Corporation to split. But in reality the $10million dollar grant is partially subsidized by our slot revenue. And what do we end up with? The princely sum of $2,134,954 while Great Canadian receives $3,571,142. The slot revenue was originally meant to bolster our purse account. It was never intended to fund Great Canadian’s Hastings operation. Mel Snow commented on this very subject in a previous post. Any way you spin it, the thoroughbred sector ends up with the short end of the stick.

Below is a press release issued by Great Canadian October 02, 2007.

 DEVELOPMENT OF SLOT MACHINE FACILITY AT HASTINGS RACECOURSE
UPGRADING GAMING OFFERINGS AT FRASER DOWNS RACETRACK AND CASINO
October 2, 2007 – Richmond, BC – Great Canadian Gaming Corporation [TSX:GC] (the “Company”) announces an interim agreement with British Columbia Lottery Corporation (“BCLC”) whereby it will be proceeding with the introduction of slot machines at Hastings Racecourse in Vancouver, British Columbia (“Hastings”)

“The history and tradition of the horse racing industry is important to Great Canadian. The contribution from slot machine revenues to the racing purse pool is a vital step towards rejuvenating the horse racing industry for all stakeholders through higher purse pools and stronger breeders programs. The redevelopment of Hastings Racecourse will modernize the facility and further improve the entertainment value for all visitors to Hastings.”  Ross J. McLeod

Consistent with other British Columbia casinos, the Company will receive a BCLC service fee of 28% on slot net win (inclusive of Facility Development Commission (“FDC”)). In order to recover its capital investment on all phases of the Hastings redevelopment, the Company will be eligible to apply to BCLC for an additional commission of 2% on slot net win pursuant to BCLC’s policy of Accelerated Facility Development Commission (“AFDC”).

The Thoroughbred sector is ready to push forward as there are a number of bold ideas out there that are floating around. But we need our fair share of the funding. We are not receiving what was promised to us from the slot revenues. And we are not being treated fairly when it comes to the allotment percentages. By now the Management Racing Committees must agree that the percentages for the thoroughbred sector of 29.27% vs. 19.49% for the standardbred sector are grossly unfair. They do not reflect reality and must be adjusted.

Petition News
The petition that is well underway is still available to sign and can be found in the backstretch. For more details please contact Mel Snow at his barn or email him at mailto:melsnow@shaw.ca..
One strong united voice and only one, is required to represent the Thoroughbred sector. Now more than ever before, do we need to be together.

Under the Constitution of "The Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association of British Columbia" (HBPA) By-Law 4.5

The Board of Directors shall on the written requisition signed in one or more counterparts by not less than the greater of (a) 10% of the members in good standing: or (b) 200 members in good standing, or such other number as is required by the Act, convene a special general meeting of the members within 21 days of the date that the requisition is deposited. The requisition shall state the object of the meeting, set forth any proposed motions to be brought before the meeting, and be deposited with the Secretary-Treasurer of the Association. Petition
To the Board of Directors of the HBPA of BC.

The undersigned members of the HBPA believe it to be in the best interests of the thoroughbred horse industry of British Columbia that one group and only one group represent the interests of all of the owners and trainers in all matters relating to horse racing, including the management of the purse account. It is therefore requested that the board of Directors of the HBPA of BC use their best efforts to call for and establish an election between the HBPA of BC and BC TOBA to determine which group will be the sole representative of BC owners and trainers.

BC Cup
BC Cup (Aug 01) is soon going to be upon us. It is always a great day of racing and this year will prove to be no different. So to all owners and trainers, to all TBC staff and Great Canadian Executives and to the Management Racing Committee there is no finer setting then Hastings Racetrack to enjoy an afternoon of some of the best entertainment the city has to offer. I expect thousands to be at the track next Monday and I will be in my box taking note of who is not!!!!!!!!!!. Blog Blog Blog.

This blog now reaches nearly 550 by email and referral.