Betting on the ponies

As the chairman of the Mahoning County Republican Party, Mark Munroe doesn’t have much to celebrate — given the predominance of Democrats in the Mahoning Valley.

So when Munroe was caught on camera smiling from ear to ear, gushing about the future, it may have seemed that he had lost touch with reality.

But the cause of the chairman’s joy had nothing to do with county politics. Rather, it was last Wednesday’s unveiling (to the press) of the $250 million Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course in Austintown. The walk-through was preceded by Munroe presenting the permit for horse racing to officials of Penn National Gaming, owner of the racino.

As a member of the Ohio Racing Commission, Munroe has been actively involved in the development of the 1-mile thoroughbred racing track, the first new one to be constructed in Ohio in a half-century.

He and his colleagues on the commission have the unenviable task of reviving horse racing — thoroughbred and harness — in Ohio, a task made all the more challenging by the fact that the racing industry in the United States is in a downward spiral.

Too few horses

There are too many race-tracks, too few horses and not enough prize money.

With live racing at the race course in Austintown set to begin Nov. 24 — the Hollywood racino will open to the public at noon Wednesday — the excitement among racing enthusiasts is palpable.

But for the racing commission and the Ohio Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, the new track could be a game changer.

“The racing commission is very excited for this,” Munroe said during the presentation of the racing permit to Penn National officials, led by General Manager Mike Galle. “We’re looking forward to racing beginning on Nov. 24. The facility is terrific. You’ve done a great job and we can’t wait for racing to begin.”

It wasn’t so long ago that the racing commission and Penn National were embroiled in a very public feud involving the number of stalls for the horses and enclosed seating with a view of the track. The Wyomissing, Pa.-based company, which owns more than 25 facilities in the U.S. and Canada and is a leader in the gaming and entertainment industry, argued that the demands being made by the commission were unreasonable.

But commissioners were not in a compromising mood. It was obvious during the highly charged exchanges that the two sides had different priorities.

Penn National has long said that its players would come from a 50-mile radius and, therefore, the 1,001 enclosed seats at the track and the 988 horse stalls in 13 barns were excessive.

In the end, the commission largely got its way, becoming more than just a dispassionate overseer of horse racing in Austintown.

Munroe and his colleagues are betting on the ponies in Austintown to revive the flagging industry in Ohio.

As owners, trainers and jockeys will tell you, racing is all about the purse. Big purses at the newest track in the state will bring the best horses.

The slot machines (video lottery terminals) in the casino are a sure bet to bring in the crowds, and company officials have acknowledged that some of the revenue would be used to bolster the racing purses. The only problem is that the 850 VLTs are significantly fewer than the 1,500 slots that Penn National had talked about when it unveiled the project in 2011.

The company says that the gaming area in the casino off Route 46 near Interstate 80 is designed to accommodate the 1,500 if the demand justifies such an increase.

For its part, the Ohio Racing Commission should make a commitment to help Penn National increase the purses should thoroughbred racing in Austintown need a boost.

Betting the ponies

So, how does someone who has never been to a race track decide on which horse to bet on?

The following tip comes from Ofelia Achkar, who with her husband, Jeres, one of the most brilliant jewelers in the Mahoning Valley for more than 60 years, operated a successful business, first in downtown Youngstown and then in Boardman.

Mrs. Achkar, with deadpan humor, says: “Pick the horse with the flattest backside.”

Or, you can always go for the “silks.”