Colonial Downs Closing. Horsemen Get A Raw Deal.

Looks like Colonial Downs will no longer be able to offer their circus style meet complete with ostrich racing, camel racing, mascot racing, man against horse racing and fireworks. Oh, did I forget horse racing? Colonial Downs certainly did as the horses are the last thing they want at their overbuilt facility. CD wants to host only 6 days of racing in 2014. If they wanted that in the first place, then all they needed was a half mile track, a few bleachers and a hot dog stand. Colonial Downs president, Ian Stewart is not being one hundred percent honest about their agenda. Live horse racing cost money and if Colonial Downs was to have it their way, there would be no live racing at all in Virginia. Off-track wagering is where the big profits are and in order for them to conduct business, the Commonwealth of Virginia requires live racing. The Virginia Racing Commission is in charge of making sure the horseman (VHBPA) and the racetrack come to an agreement on these days. Colonial Downs opened in 1997 with the intentions of eventually getting a 50+ day race meet. Instead, it peaked at about 35 days and has been reduced down to 28 days, as of 2013. This year the race track has proposed a 6 day meet in attempt to drastically cut the fat. Live horse racing, the fat, is of no interest to Colonial Downs as it cuts into their off track wagering profits. Understandably they run a business and the goal of any business is to make profits. The problem is that they need horses and horsemen to put on their show. Without horses, there would be no racing and without racing, no wagering on thoroughbred horses in the Commonwealth of Virginia and no Colonial Downs. Virginia horsemen, who make Colonial Downs possible, are not going to be run out of their own town by agreeing to such a pathetic proposal. With 2 days of stakes races, and maybe a weather cancellation, the reality is that local trainers and owners will not even get a chance to race their Virginia bred horses.

The following is a very misleading statement from Ian Stewart (President of Colonial Downs Race Track):
"There continues to be a great deal of misinformation about the current dispute between Colonial Downs and the VHBPA and I would like to set the record straight. Why is there no wagering on thoroughbred races at Colonial Downs’ OTBs? The VHBPA, the thoroughbred horsemen group, unilaterally elected not to extend the contract between it and Colonial Downs because the VHBPA disagreed with the Virginia Racing Commission’s order regarding 2014 thoroughbred race days. In past years, when the VHBPA and Colonial Downs have been unable to agree on race dates, they extended the contact while they worked to a compromise. The VHBPA unilaterally chose not to do this and to bring about the purposeful shutdown of wagering on thoroughbred racing in the OTBs. What is the disagreement about thoroughbred race days? After a series of negotiations between Colonial Downs and the VHBPA, the Virginia Racing Commission awarded 25 days of racing over 5 weeks. Colonial Downs was willing to accept this compromise, the VHPBA was not. After more negotiations, when the VHBPA did not get the 8 weeks of racing it demanded, it forced the VRC to stop wagering on thoroughbred racing at our off track facilities. In an effort to reach a compromise, Colonial Downs offered many alternatives to the VHBPA, all which were rejected, including 7 weeks of racing with a cost sharing arrangement between the VHBPA and Colonial Downs. Unfortunately, throughout these negotiations at no time were Colonial Downs and the VHBPA close to an agreement. But days and weeks are not the real issue. The reality is that racing at Colonial Downs has to improve. In 2004, racing for $200,000 allowed Colonial Downs to put on a quality thoroughbred race meet. In 2014, $200,000 a day (the amount the VHBPA wants to race for) will result in Colonial Downs offering a much lower end meet. We need to offer higher purses to attract better horses. The amount of purse money is relatively fixed, albeit diminished after the cessation of wagering on thoroughbred races. Therefore the only way to raise purses is to reduce the number of race days. None of this is a mystery to the VHBPA. Unfortunately, the VHBPA wants to expand low-end racing opportunities for its members, 80% of whom are not Virginians, regardless of the quality of those races. Colonial Downs is willing to provide opportunities for Virginia horses, breeders and owners to race at Colonial Downs and its vision for a thoroughbred meet includes racing opportunities for these Virginians. However, we believe the overall emphasis of the race meet needs to be on offering high quality thoroughbred racing. Colonial Downs aspires to be one of the highest quality TB tracks in the country. Continuing as the VHBPA wants us to will not get us there. What’s the future? As every other state around us enriches its purse account with casino gambling income, Virginia will need to differentiate itself to survive. Colonial Downs has one of the finest turf race courses in America. If we offer high, competitive purses, we will become a stop on the national thoroughbred circuit. With this attention will come more wagering on quality racing. With more wagering comes greater purse funds and the potential for more race days. Conversely, continuing to do what we have been doing for the last several years and continuing to fall behind by offering lower daily purses is the closest thing to a sure bet to make racing in Virginia irrelevant and unsustainable. A high quality meet is the best bet to promote, grow and sustain a native Virginia thoroughbred industry. Change is disruptive but Colonial Downs is committing to changing Virginia racing. We appreciate your patronage and support as we work to bring quality thoroughbred racing back to
Virginia

Ian Stewart, President "

The TRUTH is Colonial Downs Race Track offered the horsemen 12 DAYS of racing and then, when they did not accept, they offered 6 DAYS of racing. Since Colonial loses money when the doors are open for live racing, it's in their best interest to minimize live racing to what the commission allows. Colonial is required to have a certain amount of live racing days in order to keep off track wagering open. CD has been taking racing days every year in order to keep profits higher. Colonial Downs has never and probably will never be considered a world class track. It is currently irrelevant and obviously is unsustainable since live racing is not the priority of Colonial Downs. The turf course has been worse every year since it opened. It's very hard and lacks "grass" since money for maintaining the course has been cut back. Cut back on watering, fertilizing and reseeding. I know this because I have been on that turf course since the days they started racing on it. There are much better turf courses across North America. Colonial Downs current reputation: "Cheap Turf Track" where you can run your 5k claimers and that is why owners and trainers show up to race. If you are asking why is Colonial Downs not offering thoroughbred wagering, the answer is: Colonial Downs has offer the horsemen 6 days of live racing. This is unacceptable and totally outrageous, so the horsemen will not agree to those terms. The Virginia Racing Commission, not the horsemen, has shut down wagering until Colonial Downs offers an acceptable amount of racing days that the horsemen can agree on. Ian Stewart put a spin on the story talking about improving Colonial Downs and the quality of the meet. This is just a slick way of trying to make a 6 day meet for out of state horses sound great, while forgetting the local horsemen who made Colonial Downs happen in the first place.

In my opinion, we should have never let it get down to 5 weeks of racing and nothing short of 45 days is acceptable for racing to survive in Virginia. No one cares about high purses. The only draw, for the horsemen, to Colonial Downs is the cheap turf races. Delaware Park, 3 Pennsylvania tracks and Charles Town offer enough purse money with a legitimate racing meet. Wagering is wagering and even though graded stakes races might draw international attention, Colonial Downs needs a quantity of all classes of horses to fill races so there can be wagering in the first place. The use of the phrase "Quality Racing" means, "Lets have as few racing days as possible so we can cut cost of live racing." That's THE TRUTH! - Chris Crocker

I'm sure we are all going to miss the ostrich races at Colonial Downs.