It appears horse racing fans in Dresden can breathe a little easier, at least for the next five years.
Following a meeting last week with the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, the Dresden Raceway announced racing would be staying put at ‘Little Saratoga.’
“We had a great meeting today with OLG,” Dresden Raceway officials posted on their Facebook page on Thursday.
“It looks like there will be racing at Dresden Raceway for a minimum five years. Harness Racing is alive and well in Ontario!”
North Kent Coun. Joe Faas, who attended the meeting, said the outcome is very positive for Dresden.
“From what I understand the OLG and the Dresden Raceway are starting to have a stronger relationship,” Faas said.
The OLG says they are working with the Ontario government and the horse racing industry to help build a “sustainable industry in Ontario.
“OLG is integrating horse racing into the provincial gaming strategy. This is part of modernization and is included in OLG’s mandate from the government. OLG is providing support that puts a focus on horse racing to grow the customer base and ensure the industry has a strong future in Ontario,” the OLG website states.
The OLG says they have multiple plans, including:
– Helping the industry become self-governing
– Providing responsible gambling expertise
– Providing marketing strategy expertise
– Developing new horse-themed products
– Providing advice to the Province of Ontario and supporting future legislative changes
The OLG stated they will make a commitment to live racing at race tracks with OLG slot facilities with a proposed five-year funding plan, including the option for leases with a guaranteed term to 2020.
This aligns with the Ontario government’s commitment for stable funding to the horse racing industry, OLG officials stated.
Earlier this year, the closure of the Dresden Raceway, along with two other area race tracks, was a part of a proposal by four people from the harness racing industry in London, Ontario.
The authors of the 12-page report – Mark Beaven, Mark Horner, Scott McNiven, and Heather Toll – wrote the proposal to “help improve the harness racing industry in Ontario.”
The authors said the current purse levels at grassroots tracks across the province make the horse racing industry unsustainable.
Lucille Laprise, president of the Dresden Agricultural Society, said she was shocked the hear news about the proposal but she didn’t think there was much weight to it.
“We’ve had aggressive betting and fan attendance has gone up every year,” Laprise told the Sydenham Current in February.
“Things are looking good here. We’re doing an awful lot of work with the grandstand and the barns. We’ve got a lot of great volunteers and the horse racing is good for the community and for the businesses in town. It’s a win/win for everybody. We need to keep our racing here in town. We’re doing well. We just want to grow and we just want the opportunity to keep on growing.”
Dresden Raceway already has 11 race days confirmed for the 2016 racing season, including:
– Sunday, May 29, 2016 – 1:30 p.m.
– Sunday, June 5, 2016 – 1:30 p.m.
– Sunday, June 12, 2016 – 1:30 p.m.
– Sunday, June 19, 2016 – 1:30 p.m.
– Sunday, June 26, 2016 – 1:30 p.m.
– Friday, July 1, 2016 – 1:30 p.m.
– Sunday, July 3, 2016 – 1:30 p.m.
– Sunday, July 10, 2016 – 1:30 p.m.
– Sunday, July 17, 2016 – 1:30 p.m.
– Sunday, July 24, 2016 – 1:30 p.m.
– Monday, August 1, 2016 – 1:30 p.m.
– Photo credit: Nathan Vercauteren
