CKNW Editorial
for May 14, 2001

There is a little known and seldom mentioned scandal attached to the NDP government but nonetheless a major one for all that. It’s called Hastings Park Race Track.

There was a time that horse racing was a big sport in this town with three tracks, Brighouse and Lansdowne in Richmond, both one mile tracks, and Exhibition Park at the Exhibition in Vancouver, a half mile track lengthened to 5/8^th of a mile about 50 years ago when it was decided to amalgamate all the racing there. This neck of the woods produced some very fine horses including Indian Broom that ran third in the Kentucky Derby and George Royal that won the Santa Anita Handicap.

There are a lot of reasons that horse racing has declined in Vancouver. It is now seen as a mistake to have moved to Exhibition park from Richmond where, if they had waited a couple of years, the new Oak Street Bridge was to bring a much expandcd population – and presumably a lot of racing fans – and easy access by car.

Horse racing has declined over much of North America and much of that has to do with expanded betting. Ordinary people only have so much disposable income and what with lotteries and casinos readily available the two dollar punter has found other ways to get his wallet tapped.

Exhibition park, until 1994, was run by the late Jack Diamond in partnership with the Randall family. And it was run bloody well – far better than some of the weeping horse-owners of that day would admit. I have no doubt that they and fans in general would like to see the place back in the hands of the Diamond family – Jack himself died a few weeks ago.

Horse racing is a complicated issue. There is not only the track itself to consider, as an income generating enterprise, but the breeding of the horses too. This has been a major agricultural industry bedevilled by one of the classic unintended consequences bits of legislation that crop up from time to time. Rewards were paid by the government to BC bred horses who were also given preferential purses – sounds good until you realize that this discourages bringing in foreign lines to upgrade the local breeding. It resulted in bad horses being bred to bad horses.

In 1994 the NDP forced Jack Diamond who, on his own, had enhanced local stock considerably by bringing in Kentucky bred horses, out of business. It was little short of a communist style takeover with half decent compensation only paid after a huge struggle. But, of course, the NDP knew best how to run a race track and they installed a politically appointed commission with, in due course, the late and unlamented NDP attorney-general Colin Gabelman as Chair.

Now into this mix one must bring the need for a one mile track. Five furlong tracks are just too hard on horses – the turns are too sharp - so the good ones don’t come here to race. A catch 22 develops – because good horses don’t come, neither do the patrons so there is no money to attract better horses.

In the late 80s, building a one mile track was all the rage and very much supported by the horse owners. Notable in the exercise was the absence of any money to put where their mouth was by any of the noisy owners including the likes of Herb Doman and R.J. Bennett. They thought it a grand idea provided someone else took the risks. But the hype was there – former Attorney-General Brian Smith spoke glowingly of having Santa Anita North. The problem was where? And the two proposed places were the old Colony Farm near Essondale and the Burns Bog both of which schemes brought screams of protest from environmentalists. Lost in the noise was a key factor – even if one of these sites could be developed there was no public transportation to them. To build a one mile track would have cost, in 1990 dollars, something like $125 million and even if it could have been financed as part of a real estate development it would have required about 25,000 fans a day to crack the nut, At that time, on a good night, Exhibition Park with plenty of public transit, was drawing fewer than 10,000 and now draws less than half of that.

Under the NDP government there have been some efforts made. Off track viewing and betting has been added. Slot machines are on their way. But the track is broke. Where there were once 1600 horses stabled, there are now but 900.

Betting has dropped by $100 million. Racing days have dropped from 122 to 95 and attendance has fallen from 750,000 to 350,000. It’s a hell of a mess.

The problems are, as I mentioned, many. The government has just opened up too many ways for people to gamble. The simulcast betting is great for the hooked fan but it’s live racing that attracts new fans.

I would be the last one to say that the problems of horseracing in this province are all the fault of the government. The fact remains that when the NDP took over in 1994, the track made money. Now it’s losing money hand over foot. And no money to speak of – because there is none – has gone back into the premises.

Of course there must be a one mile track for horseracing to survive and prosper – in the long run. But as Mr Diamond was wont to point out, you have to find the right location and that right location has to not only be near some people but it must have fast cheap public transit. Had there been a mile track constructed in 1990 it would have undoubtedly gone in the tank leaving nowhere to run because the standardbreds would then have taken over Ex Park. In the meantime, to have racing survive the existing track must be well run.

And here is the rub. The race horse owners are not the ones to do it. They and a government patronage board have been doing it since 1994 and have run the place into the ground.

This will not be the biggest problem by far facing a new government but it is one they have inherited and must do something with – and as with most other things, they could scarcely make matters much worse.