PEI Racing Has World Wide Audience - Amateur Hour is Over
Horsetalk
By
Hal Hennessey
The numbers are still coming in from OHW and I’m not going to bore you
with the math, but here’s a sampling of some of the figures. Friday night
6,880 viewers watched the CDP’s video stream. Gold Cup & Saucer night
the viewership jumped to over 16,000. Those watching hailed from every
Canadian province, the US, Europe and such exotic locales as the Yukon,
Guatemala, Jamaica, Asia and Australia. As we told you last week, the bet
GC&S night was almost $276,000 and besides the live, it came from a
variety of places. For instance, The Meadowlands in NJ wagered $6,696,
while over $4,000 was from betting outlets in Oregon and they even took in
a $1,087 at Kentucky’s Red Mile. As you might expect there was also a
large wager from Ontario and the other Canadian provinces, although I
didn’t bother to add up the numbers. All of this certainly proves the value of
the new technological innovations at Island tracks. Obviously with the live,
Simulcast and Internet audiences growing, amateur hour should be over on
PEI. Hopefully the Harness Racing industry ‘gets it’, particularly with
regards to product presentation on and off the track
----------------------------Trackside on PEI:
Saturday night at the CDP local area winners included Brandon Webster’s
Westend Girl in 2:01, Kenny MacDonald’s Mustang Alley in 2:00 flat and
Austin & Macy Sorrie’s Tanks Alot in 1:58. Brian MacPhee scored a driving
triple on the program and Ronnie Matheson guided Oakrock Almighty to the
fastest trip of the night – 1:55.1.
Thursday night winners from east of Charlottetown included Ricky Farrell’s
REs Ryan, the Jamie Kennedy owned Brenda Rose and the Creed boy’s
(Daryl & Anthony) Million Dollardown.
The card at SRW last Wednesday featured 13 stake races, but sadly no
Downeast winners. They had a great bet of over $22 thousand dollars. Much
better than the CDP’s on Thursday & Saturday. It’s also interesting to note
that once again track announcer Vance Cameron, has commented on the
unfairness of stakes only racing cards to Western PEI horsemen.
He referred to this in a column last week when he wrote, ‘I hear it all the
time, Summerside is getting the short end of the stick, and now I’m
beginning to believe it.’ Nice to see that at least some racing journalists, are
buying into what I have been saying for a long time.
-----------------------------------Horses for Courses Dept:
Atlantic National Exhibition Week kicked off last Saturday in Saint John,
and featured the Maritimer for 3 YO pacing fillies. Shaun MacIsaac’s
Charlottes Maggie won the first division in 2:01.2, while APC columnist Pat
Eastwood’s Moon Landing went in 2:00.4 to take the second. She also won
the final in a record time of 1:58.1. This Friday’s wind-up card will feature
the 3 YO colts, the ANE Invitational and the Erwin Andrew Memorial.
On Sunday in the Inverness Invitational, Mark Bradley drove the David
Rose trainee Formal Affair to the win in a sparkling 1:54.3. He’s owned by
Dale and Ronnie Rennie of Elmsdale PEI. Oakmont was second and
Outlawpositivcharg third.
Couple of other winners of local interest last week included Ontheclock
Hanover in 1:53.3 for Doc Moore and partners, as well as son Tyler’s win
with his own Colossal Killean in 1:57.1.
---------------------------Notes
I want to pass on best wishes to Apps Arsenault, who’s dealing with some
health issues. Good guy - please keep him in your thoughts & prayers.
Congrats to rising star reinsman Corey MacPherson and Lisa Richards, who
married last Friday.
Did you know that new barns are being discussed again at the CDP? An
application has been made to ACOA for funding help.
A reminder that post times have changed at the CDP. Saturday races on the
3rd, 10th and 24th of September will now start at 6 PM.
Though it’s not a done deal, lots of sources are telling me a racetrack/casino
is a possibility on the Millbrook First Nations land close to Truro, where
they are planning a new entertainment complex. Apparently at least some
investors are in place, the NS government is willing to consider the proposal
and discussion documents have been prepared. This could be huge for
Maritime racing. One can only hope it works out.
--------------------------------------Speaking of Summerside, at his request we had a chat last week with PEI
Harness Racing Industry Association board member Eldred Nicholson. He
wanted to discuss our comments on the leadership of the Association and the
phrase ‘North Wiltshire Mafia’. I reminded him that in my initial columns
last January, the reference to a preponderance of his board being from North
Wiltshire and the term mafia, had in fact come from horsemen and fans in
Western PEI and City of Summerside officials, not myself. You can read
those columns here: http://www.maritimeclassics.net/halshorsetalk.html.
I also pointed out that before publishing, I had asked both the PEIHRIA and
Wes Sheridan for comment. The association refused and the minister did not
respond. So much for trying to be fair. As for ‘Summerside Raceway’, Mr.
Nicholson did not agree that horsemen there were bring discriminated
against. In fact he told me, that when the 2011 race dates proposal was made
to the board, the representatives from the Prince County Horsemens Club
had no objections. He also said that he doubts very much if Atlantic Lotto’s
Managing Director Tom Mullally, will agree to more race dates up west. The
contention is that the costs at SRW are harder to meet, in that Atlantic Lotto
does not have the food and beverage concessions to help cover expenses. I
have no idea of the numbers, but I do know that some former PCHC
directors dispute this. Mr. Nicholson did say that the policy of programming
stake races only, on certain cards at SRW, would be reconsidered. Although
he and I basically disagree in philosophy, it was all very friendly in nature. It
would seem though that horsemen up west, who are unhappy with the race
date situation, need to talk to their PCHC executive. - preferably before
2012’s schedule is drawn up.
To be continued……
-------------------------------Finally, lots of gasps & giggles these days over some of the on and off track
antics during OHW. I understand the racing commission is still looking at
matters, so I have to be careful with what I say. I should also add that once
again the commission’s slowness to act and their credibility is being
questioned. The only fall-out so far is that GC&S driver Simon Allard has
been hit with a $1,000 fine and a 30 day suspension. That’s now under
appeal. Kenny Arsenault has picked up a $200 fine and 2 week suspension.
The smiles and chuckles stem from the fact that apparently a couple of local
lads, got a little rambunctious with some visiting horsemen at a well-know
drinking establishment during the week. Both apparently ended up on their
arses, to the general merriment of the horse folks at the CDP. Embarrassing
eh? Ah well, playwright George Bernard Shaw was perhaps right when he
wrote, ‘youth is wasted on the young’.
--------------------------------Questions/Comments? hal.al@sympatico.ca