Race is on to save horse tracks in Ohio
MOUNT VERNON — For over 75 years, Ohioans have been betting at race tracks since the “Horse Racing Act” was authorized by the 90th General Assembly in 1933. Today, the ability to place as little as $2 in parimutuel wagering is in serious jeopardy as many of the seven race tracks in the state are falling prey to the bright lights and big payoffs at race tracks in surrounding states — tracks that are all abuzz with the lights and sounds of slot machines.
6 Responses to “ Race is on to save horse tracks in Ohio”
When the politians who are opposed to gambling have to start eliminating programs that they support due to budget constraints we’ll see if they change their tune. The Horse Racing Industry is not asking for any handouts ! Simply a level playing field. The state must not be broke enough if it continues to turn down 100’s of millions in revenues. How bad does it have to get ? Strickland has become a “God Sent” for the casinos bordering Ohio. He has continued to save their financial asses, while he watches money fly out the windows !!! When will it end ???
I have no concern for an industry that adds to the problem of the thousands of horses that were slaughtered all these years.
Simply because they arent fast enough, or they dont make enough money, or when they are to old to race anymore , which is what 2 to 4 years old?
Also when they are lucky enough to have a mare that earns alot of money they will breed her and when her foal is born they will take it to another mare whos foal has been killed so she can feed this one so the other mare can get back to racing sooner. ALL TRUE.
I have no concern for an industry that adds to the problem of the thousands of horses that were slaughtered all these years.
Simply because they arent fast enough, or they dont make enough money, or when they are to old to race anymore , which is what 2 to 4 years old?
Also when they are lucky enough to have a mare that earns alot of money they will breed her and when her foal is born they will take it to another mare whos foal has been killed so she can feed this one so the other mare can get back to racing sooner. ALL TRUE.
I cant wait to play the slots.
I could care less about the perils of the horse racing industry. They add to the thousands of horses that are sent to be slaughtered each year, because they are not fast enough or they dont make money or they are to old to race any more.
Also in some cases when they have a money producing mare they breed her and when she has her baby they baby is taken and put on another mare who’s baby is killed so she can feed the other mare’s baby.
ALL TRUE!!! SO… like I said who should care!!!
There seems to be some righteous people in this state that think they are going to save the souls of people from Ohio who enjoy “gambling”. If that is their intention–they need to set up watches at the surrounding states and try to stop all of the Ohioans from going to the casinos there.
If you listen to the news–Ohio is in need of money, but we don’t want any of the revenue from casinos–we want the surrounding states to enjoy and reap the rewards from them. The surrounding states keep hoping Ohio doesn’t get this passed so they can keep the revenue. This is not to mention all of the jobs this is sending out of our state. The horse business cannot afford to do business in this state when they can go three hours from here and make thousands of more dollars doing the exact same thing that they do in Ohio. A race at Scioto Downs that the purse is $2,000.00–the exact same class of horses at The Meadows in PA is $7500.00. If you are in the business–Where Are You Going To Go?? We do not want casinos built all over the state–we need them at the racetracks where you can already bet on the horses. This needs to be an extension of that gambling area where it will benefit the state and not some guru’s pocket. Wake up Ohio and pull your head out of the sand!!!
Thank you for writing about the perilous future of harness racing, one of Ohio’s flagship industries. This story hits particularly close to home in Mt. Vernon. Thanks to the hard work and dedication by the Bergers and others, the Knox County Fair has been named a 2009 Blue Ribbon Fair Award winner by the United States Trotting Association. The Mt. Vernon fair is being honored as one of the finest fairs in the entire United States for harness racing. Congratulations on all your efforts and be sure to visit the fair on Sunday, July 26, to share in this honor.
T.J. Burkett
Managing Editor
Hoof Beats magazine