Two Cents Worth: What is the state of the industry?

Over the last week, I took a slight break from the world of harness racing as I was a part of the broadcasting team for 2023 Under 18 National Aboriginal Hockey Championships. The tournament is held annually to showcase talented Aboriginal players from across Canada. Players are divided into groups based on their region or province. The girls’ and boys’ finals saw the host Team Manitoba face off against Team Ontario. The boys’ Team Manitoba won gold while the girls’ Team Ontario took home top honours.

My personal experience at the tournament was nothing short of amazing. I got to work alongside top-level hockey media talent and am very grateful for the experience. I had the pleasure of being on-air with local Manitoba-based legends including Kelly Moore, the former play-by-play announcer for the original Winnipeg Jets franchise and now the Sports Director for the radio station 680 CJOB. CJOB holds the radio broadcasting rights to the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League.

I also had the opportunity to be on-air with Skylar Peters from CJOB and the broadcasting team of Bill Christensen and Ian Lewis, who call Manitoba Junior Hockey League games. But the excitement didn’t stop there! I also worked on some fun with original Winnipeg Jets legend play-by-play Curt Keilbeck and sports reporter Scott Taylor. The level of talent at the rink last week was top-tier.

I felt compelled to accept the offer once it came up, even though I was not the biggest hockey guy. The main reason I felt compelled to do so is to expand my sports arsenal since I have been growing uncertain about the long-term success of harness racing. It is tough to pinpoint exactly what the status of the industry is right now.

No one can blame me for wanting to pad up the resume, but I would be lying if I didn’t feel guilty for the reason behind it. My time at Harnesslink has been amazing, and I have no reason ever to want to write anywhere else. In addition, my colleague Steve Wolf just celebrated his 10th anniversary of working at Harnesslink, and all I could think about was surpassing that same milestone one day.

However, I often lay in bed restless at night, worrying about the state of the harness racing industry and the likelihood of its long-term success. As a father of three young boys, my main objective is to provide them with the best possible life I can.

It is plain to see that some regions haven’t had the best fortune lately, and this has caused me some concern.

In my area of Manitoba, we are less than a month away from qualifiers, and there has been no official news on the racing schedule, nor has there been one shred of advertising for the brand-new Loop. As a result, the level of optimism is dwindling in the local community. I was telling several of the previously mentioned gentlemen at the hockey tournament about it, and they seemed rather intrigued! However, it is easier to whistle support when the schedule is in place.

News this past week broke on the unfortunate status of Vernon Downs and the likelihood of the closure of the track. Vernon Downs should be having a wonderful 75th-anniversary summer, but instead, they are trying to drum up support from the New York State government. We all know how negotiating with the government can be. Nothing is ever guaranteed when they get involved, and being $2 million in the hole is no easy task to get out of.

This past week, pictures of the destruction of the Pompano Park grandstand were circulating on social media.

“As of 10:58 this morning, The Pomp has fallen. #RIP,” Gabe Prewitt posted on Twitter on May 12, along with a photo of the demolition site that once was Pompano Park.

Things seem very doom and gloom in a few regions around North America. However, some positive changes are happening in other areas.

When Melissa Keith was on Harness News Live last week with Nicholas Barnsdale filling in for me, she stated that Truro Raceway’s 2023 opening day handle was the second-highest in the previous 21 years. That isn’t too shabby now. I have been vocal about how impressed I have been about how things are shaping up at the Bible Hill, Nova Scotia track. The several changes that Truro Raceway has made over the last few months have boosted its position on the Sunday afternoon lineup. General Manager Steve Fitzsimmons has been putting in lots of work since he’s taken over the job.

On the other side of Canada, Fraser Downs broke handle records during the spring meet in British Columbia. The handle was up 18% compared to the spring meeting in 2022 and 62% over the 2021 spring meeting. Fraser Downs has the advantage of being in the Pacific time zone and has found a soft spot in the weekly schedule, having a late post time. For a track with a camera that was made before I was born (which was the year 1995), that increase in handle and popularity is very impressive.

The Raceway at the Western Fair District has also been having an increased handle to start 2023. The track in London, Ontario, had a record-setting $10.7 million wagered in March. That capped off an impressive fiscal year for Western Fair, which saw over $56 million through the windows. It would be hard to argue that The Raceway at the Western Fair District isn’t Canada’s number 2 harness racing track right now.

So, you can see two extreme sides to the industry right now. Some tracks and regions are struggling to keep their heads above water. In the meantime, other tracks are going strong, and we should take notes on what they are doing.

It takes a lot of work to grade how the industry is overall with the vast differences. If I had to give a letter grade to the Loop, Vernon Downs, and Pompano Park, it would, unfortunately, be a big F. It would not be any person or group of people fighting, but it’s just how it is. On the other hand, based on what they have done recently, I would give Truro Raceway, Fraser Downs, and The Raceway at the Western Fair District a solid B to A.

Determining how the whole industry should be graded would be nearly impossible. However, I want to know what others think. Feel free to comment on how things are in the harness racing industry. Are there more tracks like Vernon Downs or more like Truro Raceway? This should be an exciting debate.

by Trey Colbeck, for Harnesslink