BY SCOTT HUNTER HADDOW
A late start to the 2005 racing season hasn't
put a damper on prospects at Sudbury Downs.
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Despite a late start, racing action
at Sudbury Downs has been exciting. Local horses have
been providing much of the excitement. One local horse,
I am Irish, owned by Wayne MacLean, Jocelyne Menard and
Lesley Kennedy, has been tearing up the local circuit.
I Am Irish is believed to be the first locally owned
horse to win an Ontario Sire Stakes race at Sudbury
Downs, which he did last weekend. Racing continues
until Dec. 31. |
As the summer portion of the season draws
near, Downs officials are excited about the fall season and the
overall strength of the local racing scene.
"The racing season so far has been very
good," said Ken Le Drew, general manager. "We had a late start
(racing began on June 25), but I think that had a lot of people
anticipating the racing. Overall, our attendance and handle has
both increased. Nothing earth-shattering, but a slight
improvement over last year."
A local horse has recently made a lot of
noise, creating a definite buzz around the track.
"For the first time, that I can remember, a
local owner, trainer and driver won an Ontario Sire Stakes race
at Sudbury Downs," said Le Drew. "The horse was I am Irish, and
he won last Saturday night. The owners, Wayne MacLean, Jocelyne
Menard and Lesely Kennedy bought the horse for $3,000 and
didn't know anything about him and he had never been in a race
before. He first raced back in April and won his first two
starts and ever since it's been a thrilling ride. They are
excited all to heck. In 13 races, he has made $33,000."
Sudbury Downs hosted a fan day back in late
August, and it met with a positive response, and was a powerful
teaching tool for management.
"We brought the fans in for a tour, to all
the places that they can't get into," said Le Drew. "We gave
them breakfast and had two races just for them.
It went over great. We gave them a comment
form, and the majority of what they turned in was terrific.
We're going to take a different look at how
we market. Having a direct relationship with
the fans is something we kind of got away from, but we are
going to be doing this again next year. It let us see that
these types of promotions are a success."
There have been big purses won at the
Downs.
Typically, the race season is about 64 to 65
race dates. This year, because of the labour dispute, the race
days are down to 51 days. There is $ 4 million in purse money
to pay out. Instead of having incredibly high payouts in
purses, the contract was made so that the $ 4 million would be
spread out evenly over this year and into next year, so there
would be slightly higher paying purses for both seasons.
On average, the total purse money on a race
day is about $70,000, instead of $80,000 a race date.
"It worked out good and the Slots have
rebounded slightly this year, so it's been fair," said Director
of Racing Brent Powell. "The smoking ban did effect the slots
for a while, but it has rebounded and it has been more positive
for everyone. Out-of-town drivers see we are offering more
money...and are coming up here to race. It's what we need
because they bring in some horses to top up some of the higher
classes."
There will be racing at the Downs right
through until Dec. 31, 2005. There's racing two times a week
(Wednesdays and Saturdays) until December, and then just one
race a week (Saturdays) in December.
The Harvest Pacing series begins this
Saturday, featuring top level $10,000 claiming pacers in
action.
In October, the Downs will fire up the
Champions Pacing series, featuring more quality horses .
"We have had some great races...and that will
continue," said Le Drew. "We have had more races, in general,
compared to last season. In 2004, we
averaged 11 races per day, and now we average
12 to 13 races per day."
