HorseRacing Central March 1, 2007

A GREAT PLACE TO START

Fraser Downs Racetrack & Casino has been designated by Standardbred Canada as the starting site to determine our country's representative for the 2007 World Harness Racing Driving Championship.

It’s a whole new format to establish Canada’s top driver who will be chasing a $25,000 jackpot at the world showdown shared by Australia and New Zealand October 31st to November 9th.

Standardbred Canada has changed its original system where Canada’s champ would be crowned by a formula that included earnings, wins and UDRS rating. Now the title goes to the driver who beats out 31 of his fellow countrymen in a competition that covers four regions.

The four regional championships will produce eight finalists - two from each region - and they will travel to Charlottetown, P.E.I. for the national final at Charlottetown Driver Park and Entertainment Centre in August. From there, it’s onto the world stage.

It all starts at Fraser Downs on Saturday, March 24th with British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba representing the Western Region. The B.C. reps are expected to be the talented and popular Jim Marino, Serge Masse and Scott Knight, with alternate Gord Abbott.

Dates and locations of the other three regions include:

Ontario Region at Western Fair Raceway, London, at the end of April.
Quebec Region at Hippodrome de Montreal, on May 27th.
Atlantic Region at Charlottetown Driving Park at the end of May.

The two drivers who accumulate the most points in each region’s eight-race competition will advance to the national championship that launches the annual 2007 Old Home Week Festival on Thursday, August 9th in Charlottetown.

Next stop: Australia and New Zealand in pursuit of the $25,000 top prize as the world’s best harness racing driver in 2007. Herve Filion won the inaugural world title event in 1970 and only two other Canadians have since won it: Sylvain Filion of Quebec in 1999 and Ontario’s Jody Jamieson in 2001.

Jot down the date: Saturday, March 24th at Fraser Downs Racetrack & Casino. It’ll be the start of something as big as the road to a world championship.

“We’re flattered that we’ve been designated by Standardbred Canada as the starting point,” says Scott Sinclair, General Manger of Fraser Downs. “Our fans not only get a chance to see some of the best drivers in the west, they’ll also relish the opportunity of being able to cheer our local drivers to a possible Canadian and World Championship. It doesn’t get any better than that!”

THE DERBY, SURREY STYLE

Stand by for the newest location in the Teletheatre BC Network.

Glen Todd, a familiar name to thoroughbred racing at Hastings Racecourse as a long-time horse owner and major supporter of the industry, says construction is “well underway” for his new off-track wagering location in Surrey. Called The Derby Bar and Grill, the 5,000-square foot facility is located on First Avenue at the Pacific Highway Border Crossing and features 20 high-definition television sets that will broadcast races via simulcast from major thoroughbred and harness tracks world-wide.

In typical Todd style, The Derby Bar and Grill will combine a first-class restaurant in an old traditional Turf Club atmosphere with first-class people running the day-to-day operation. The areas related to the restaurant will be managed by award-winning Executive Chef Antonio Pasacreta, while the off-track wagering facilities come under the guidance of Brian Pound, who worked at Hastings Racecourse for 19 years in various management capacities.

“It’s another opportunity to showcase simulcast horse racing to both new and existing fans,” says Chuck Keeling, Vice-President of Racing Operations for Great Canadian Gaming Corporation. “The BC Standardbred Association and the Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association are excited to welcome The Derby Bar and Grill to our stable of Teletheatre outlets available across the province.”

AND THEN THERE WERE NINE ...

It’ll be a head-to-head battle among the nine finalists in our California Dreamin’ handicapping contest on Saturday, March 10th in the Homestretch “Party Zone” at Fraser Downs Racetrack & Casino. The nine survivors will be competing against each other for a chance to win a three-day trip to the 2007 Santa Anita Derby on Saturday, April 7th.

Each contestant will make a mythical $20 win-place-show bet on the Santa Anita card on March 10th. At the end of the day, the contestant with the most winnings will be on his/her way to the “Great Race Place” in Arcadia! As an added bonus, all of the nine are allowed to make a $10 across-the-board wager on all selections as a bonus for being in the finals, meaning they have a chance to walk away from the contest with a profit even if they are not the California Dreamin’ winner.

ASK THE HANDICAPPER

In each edition of HorseRacing Central we invite readers to email our resident analyst Mike Heads mheads@hastingsracecourse.com with a race-related question. The person who submits the question we publish wins lunch for two at Hastings Racecourse or Fraser Downs Racetrack & Casino. Our winner in this issue is Melvina Cadotte who asks:

“I hear about horses that have been claimed and cannot race in the same price race again for 30 days because they are said to be “in jail”. If you could provide some information about this practice it could go a long way to improving my handicapping skills.” -- Melvina Cadotte

MIKE’S ANSWER:

Many people are not familiar with the claiming rules in certain jurisdictions. At Hastings Racecourse there is a mandatory 25-day “jail term” after a horse has been claimed. This means the new owner has to run the horse for at least 25 per cent more than the claiming price for the next 25 days but then on the 26th day the owner can run the horse at any claiming price he/she chooses. For example, if a horse has been claimed for $16,000 it must run for $20,000 or more during the first 25 days following the claim and on the 26th day, the horse can run for $4,000 if that’s the owner’s wish.

Some tracks don’t have a “jail” rule (you can run the horse wherever you want to after you claim it) but most do and the usual “jail term” is 30 days. Because of the shorter seasons at Hastings, the rules have been changed to the 25-day term.

DUBAI WORLD CUP – $21 MILLION UP FOR GRABS!

It’s the richest day in thoroughbred racing with an all-star cast of world-class horses: the 12th Annual Dubai World Cup on Saturday, March 31st with $21 million in total purse money available over a six-race card at the famous Nad Al Sheba Racecourse in the oil rich country of Dubai.

Local racing fans can catch all the action through our simulcast network at Fraser Downs Racetrack & Casino, Hastings Racecourse, Racebook at River Rock and the Racebook at Boulevard Casino, as well as teletheatre outlets throughout the province.

Headlining the fabulous day in Dubai will be the undefeated Discreet Cat going up against Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Invasor in the $6 million Dubai World Cup Classic. The $5 million Dubai Sheema Classic will bring together the best distance turf runners with expected favourites being the Melbourne Cup winner Pop Rock and Breeders’ Cup Turf winner Red Rocks. (Let’s make sure our good friend Red Robinson knows about this one!)

Other races on the card include the $5 million Dubai Duty Free and the $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen.

THOROUGHBRED INDUSTRY AWARDS

The horse racing fraternity will be out in full force on Friday, March 16th at the Red Robinson Show Theatre for the annual Thoroughbred Industry Awards. Tickets for the dinner and dance are available for $85 and can be purchased by calling Cristan Gossen at 604-251-0406. The gala evening will honour the best of the 2006 season at Hastings Racecourse as well as the latest inductees into the Hall of Fame.