HORSE RACING BACK ON TRACK
Century Downs ready to take bets
Three months after being put out to pasture, horse racing is set to resume at Century Downs Racetrack & Casino on Monday.
“Thank God … it’s been a long couple of months,” said local owner/trainer/driver David Kelly. “It just feels like Groundhog Day — you’re doing the same training schedule every week, and you’re not really prepping for anything.
“To go from having such a strict schedule and being on top of everything to going into this kind of relaxed mode where we’re trying to keep the horses fit, but we don’t really have any races to keep them fit for, it makes it a little difficult to look forward to and plan for.”
But beginning this week, the standardbreds return — for the entire 2020 schedule at Calgary’s 5 1/2-furlong track — to help keep the horse racing industry alive and kicking in Alberta after some thought it could be sidetracked forever by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s pretty neat to see the resumption of racing (Monday at 2:15 p.m.),” said Paul Ryneveld, managing director of Century Downs and Edmonton’s Century Mile.
“When the shutdown happened, we had horses on the grounds because we were already racing. The first few days, we were like … ‘What do we do? Do we vacate everything and close it down? Or do we try to keep everything going not knowing when racing might resume? We opted for the latter, which was just keep going. The horses had to be stabled somewhere.”
Fortunately, the government saw the facilities as an essential service for the horses even though it didn’t allow racing.
“At the end of the day, making that decision to keep them on the grounds probably helped keep the opportunity for horse racing to continue in the province this year, because these horses were able to continue to exercise and train,” Ryneveld said. “And whenever horse racing was able to resume, it would only take a little time to ramp it up, rather than months.”
So when the Alberta government allowed for the return of the sport of kings in Stage 2 of the relaunch earlier this month, which came as a pleasant surprise to Ryneveld and company, the horsemen and operators of Century Downs were immediately ready to saddle up.
The move couldn’t come early enough, with financial struggles getting worse by the day, Kelly said.
“That’s never fun,” said Kelly, who found his way into Alberta’s horse racing industry a few years ago after arriving from his native Sydney, N.S. “The owners help pay the bills when the horses are racing and making money. Without that happening, it’s tough to keep on top of everything.
“When you lose your income for three or four months, it’s tough to get back on your feet and get started. And I think the next couple of months are still going to be a bit tough to get back to where we were,” said 30-year-old Kelly, who won the training title at Century Mile in 2019 and earned a Standardbred Canada O’brien Award as a future driving star. “I’m lucky enough to have quite a few owners/clients backing me and making sure we have everything we need for the horses and making sure they’re healthy and on top of their game, so that when we did get started back up, we’re ready to go. That’s been a blessing through all of this.”
Some drivers and trainers, however, couldn’t wait for an Alberta relaunch, making the move to Ontario when it announced in May that horse racing would soon return in that province.
Those who stayed are now geared up for Mondays and Tuesdays through July, followed by Tuesdays and Saturdays in August and September, and Saturdays and Sundays in October at Century Downs, where — because of the delay in the schedule — there will be no thoroughbred racing in the 2020 season.
The Calgary track will only feature pacers through the Oct. 31 final date.
And, of course, it’s all under COVID-19 restrictions.
“We want to make it as safe as possible for staff and guests and race participants,” said Ryneveld, whose facility can allow for 100 fans — with social distancing measures in place — on the track apron under the current Alberta guidelines.
Guests will be asked health-screening questions coming in the door and be given temperature checks.
They’ll also be required to wear masks, which Century Downs will make available.
The tellers taking wagers will be behind Plexiglas.
And self-service machines will be wiped down regularly with Ahs-approved disinfectant, says Ryneveld.
There’s also rules for social distancing for horsemen in the paddock.
But the added effort of ensuring safety protocols is worth it to get horse racing back on the track in Calgary, after the thoroughbreds reopened Sunday in Edmonton.
“It’s big because everybody’s back to earning an income,” Ryneveld said. “Trainers charge day rates to take care of horses for owners, but they make their biggest money racing and winning. Jockeys don’t get paid unless they’re riding horses and get paid the most when they’re racing.”
And Ryneveld figures Century Downs will find a way to make money along the way even without scores of fans — last year 75 per cent of the racetrack’s handle came from Internet wagers.
“I think we’re going to see some good numbers,” said Ryneveld, believing the switch to early weekday afternoons can attract the betting public. “There’s not as many racetracks running at those times, so there’s not as much competition for betting dollars and that can improve our handle. We’re not going to see those numbers (that tracks did when they got going in early June), because there’s a lot more competition out there now in the market.
“But we’re seeing a lot of people through the Internet betting who would probably be betting sports.
“The pie has grown for horse racing.”
When you lose your income for three or four months, it’s tough to get back on your feet and get started.