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Ohio-bred horse race purses up as Buckeye State sees increased funding from wagering, VLT revenue
By ROBERT CONNELLY
AUSTINTOWN
Purses for Ohio-bred horse races are up as the state’s racing program gets a boost from all seven racinos being open and running.
Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course is the only Ohio thoroughbred track racing right now.
The state’s racing program for 2014 “was approximately $2.5 million,” said Dave Basler, executive director of the Ohio Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association. “The total program [in 2015] will be approximately $5.3 million.”
He added: “Not only did we think it could happen, we set aside 10 percent of the funding we receive from both Thistledown Racino and Mahoning Valley by contract for the Ohio Thoroughbred Fund. So that’s the reason why the thoroughbred fund is going up.”
The purse increase is due to the increase of the VLT revenue, now that all of the tracks are open, and wagering on the races. Increasing the purses, or winnings, gives incentives to horse owners to pursue Ohio-bred thoroughbreds or for Ohio horsemen to continue to invest in the Buckeye State.
According to the agreement between the OHBPA and Thistledown Racino, in the Cleveland area, and Hollywood Gaming, more than 10.5 percent of revenue from the video lottery terminals will be paid to the association. Of those funds, 80 percent will go toward purse amounts.
The purses went up Jan. 1, and there were more conditions, or specifications for a race, added for Ohio horsemen as the track settles in.
“We’ve been working through growing pains that are associated with any new operation,” Basler said. “There’s always issues with new racetracks. It’s been deep, according to our guys.”
The talk of “deep” is about the top layer of the sandy racetrack, but because the track is new, it still is settling.
Ed Vomacka, Hollywood Gaming racing secretary, said there is no current plan to increase purses in open races, or those open to horses bred in any state.
The first Ohio stakes race is set for March 28 for 3-year-olds at Hollywood Gaming. Those stakes races for Ohio breds will be $75,000 now; they had been $50,000.
The increase for purses on a day-to-day basis for Ohio-bred races is a few thousand dollars, such as a maiden race going from $12,500 to $17,500.
“The way the purses have been in the past, it was hard to keep your head above water,” said Joe Poole, a horse trainer at Hollywood Gaming. “Now, at least when you finish second and third, you keep a little bit more money where you keep everything going.”
The first canceled day of racing at Hollywood Gaming was Jan. 7. “Entries are still going really well and still getting a lot of trainers from the area,” Vomacka said. “The fear at this time of year is it is a little tougher training every day.”
The current average field size (or amount of horses per race) is 8.6, well above the industry norm as the amount of horses bred each year has gone down over recent years. “I think it came pretty close to what we expected. You never know until you do it. That’s a good number for this time of year,” Vomacka said of field sizes.
There have been few injuries to jockeys and horses so far at the track, which began racing Nov. 24.
“We had a strangles scare that we just ended [last month] with all the horses coming out of quarantine,” Basler said.
The strangles scare is a respiratory disease that affects horses. “It’s not that serious. They say about 1 percent [of horses diagnosed are] fatal, but it’s very contagious,” Vomacka said.
He added there were 31/2 weeks of quarantine at the track during the infectious period.