Ohio's once-grand sport of horse racing continued its downward spiral in 2010, with wagering on live and simulcast racing falling 10.3 percent at the seven Buckeye State tracks. There is a chance the horse racing industry could get a shot in the arm soon, with Gov. John Kasich planning to decide this spring if video lottery terminals, or slots, should be allowed at the tracks in 2011.
View full sizeOhio track owners, horsemen and the rest of the industry believe electronic gambling will help level the playing field with neighboring states, but it won't cure all that ails the industry. Ohio's once-grand sport of horse racing continued its downward spiral in 2010, with wagering on live and simulcast racing falling 10.3 percent at the seven Buckeye State tracks.
There is a chance the industry could get a shot in the arm soon, though, with Gov. John Kasich planning to decide this spring if video lottery terminals, or slots, should be allowed at the tracks in 2011.
While Kasich hasn't been eager to talk about slots for race tracks, or the horse-racing industry in general, he reportedly wants to wait until new Ohio State Racing Commission members are appointed before dealing with the slots issue.
The terms of ORC members Gerald Holland of Cuyahoga Falls, Tom Zaino of Columbus and Jerry Chabler of Sylvania end March 31. Other ORC members are Chairman William Koester of Cincinnati and Ted Brown of Tipp City. The four-year term of Executive Director Tom Fries Jr. expires June 30.
Ohio track owners, horsemen and the rest of the industry have been seeking the form of electronic gambling to help level the playing field with neighboring states that offer a combination of horse racing and casino gambling. The arrival of slots would not be the salvation of Ohio horse racing, said Fries.
"The slots are not a silver bullet," said Fries. "While the slots could generate some revenue, the industry is going to have to do a better job of marketing itself to get people back in the stands. My grandparents used to get all dressed up and head to Lebanon Raceway on Saturday night to watch the harness racing. It was the big social event of the week for them, and for us as we got older.
"We've got to get a younger crowd interested in horse racing, people in their 20s, 30s and 40s."
Northfield Park was the healthiest of Ohio tracks in 2010, showing only a 3.3 percent drop in wagering. The harness racing track generated $15.5 million in betting on 213 live racing dates and $39 million on simulcast racing, a total of $54.5 million.
Thistledown's 122 live racing dates brought $7.6 million in wagering, while simulcast bettors pushed $50.6 million through the windows, for a total of $58.2 million.
"Northfield Park is working its butt off at horse racing," said Fries. "The track is putting on some good racing, and a pretty good show. Simulcasting their races around the country helps to drive their profits. The track hardly ever closes, despite the bitter winter weather in northern Ohio."
The biggest betting slump of 2010 came at Cincinnati's River Downs, which declined 15.7 percent on $39.9 million in live and simulcast wagering.
Thoroughbred racing overall recorded a 12.8 percent drop to $124.6 million in wagering, compared to harness racing's 7.8 percent decline to $128.6 million.
The $253.2 million bet at Ohio tracks in 2010 is a dramatic drop from the $596 million wagered in 2001. Admission figures can't be compared, with most tracks offering free admission for simulcast racing and for most of their live cards.
Reitz at Cedar Downs: Northfield Park is trying to boost the action at its Cedar Downs off-track betting parlor in Sandusky, naming Brett Reitz to oversee the facility this year.
The former general manager at Thistledown, Reitz said he's impressed with Cedar Downs and wants to expand the Northfield Player Rewards Program and other promotions there.
Posting the wins: Dan Noble is the leading driver at Northfield Park this winter, notching 84 victories for a comfortable lead over Elliott Deaton (42) and Kurt Sugg (39). Right behind are Aaron Merriman (38) and Dan Carlino (29), who are doing double duty as they race at both Northfield and The Meadows in Washington, Pa. Merriman is ranked eighth in the country with 69 wins overall.
Wall of Fame: Seven nominees for the Northfield Park Wall of Fame have been added, with winners to be honored at the annual Wall of Fame Dinner at the track on April 7.
Included are the late Elmer Moody, longtime security chief at the track; three-time driving champ Greg Grismore; trainers Marty Wollam and Tye Loy; 2002 Northfield Horse of the Year Cam's Valentine; Canadian Hall of Famer Dream of Glory, a trotter undefeated in five Northfield Park starts for breeder Leo Soehnlen of Canton; and two-time Battle of Lake Erie champ Maltese Artist.
Uncle Mo at Tampa Bay: The Kentucky Derby is almost three months down the road, but thoroughbred fans are already talking about the May 7 classic.
That could be because undefeated and very, very early Derby favorite Uncle Mo is likely to begin his sophomore season in the $300,000 Tampa Bay Derby on March 12. A bay son of Indian Charlie, Uncle Mo was bred by Dr. D. Michael Cavey of Respite Farm in Paris, Ky.
Winner of three starts as a 2-year-old, Uncle Mo is trained by Todd Pletcher, who won last year's Kentucky Derby with Super Saver. The early line on Uncle Mo has him the 4-1 favorite in this year's Run for the Roses.
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: degan@plaind.com, 216-999-5158
Source: http://www.cleveland.com/horseracing/index.ssf/2011/02/allowing_slots_would_be_a_shot.html
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