It’s a finish line no one saw coming. Members of Ottawa’s horse racing community are mourning the end of racing at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. They heard the news last week. Now, there’s an effort by Ontario Racing underway to revive it, but the odds are long. According to last Thursday’s news release, despite recent investments in the track’s infrastructure, the Hard Rock is shutting down the horse racing program after three seasons, because the Rideau Carleton Raceway is no longer sustainable. “It was devastating to us because that’s what we do for our main living,” says Mandy Archer a horse owner, trainer, and rider. She says the decision is tearing her family apart as she remains in Ottawa, while her son is racing in Toronto. “We’re one of the families that are split in two,” explains Archer. “How are we going to sustain that for a long period of time? I don’t know… I don’t want to see (my son) on TV right now. That’s how I see my family is on TV.” Other horse owners, trainers, and riders in the Ottawa area say they feel blindsided after investing thousands of dollars on horse training and equipment in the off-season and resorting to compete at other tracks during negotiations at the start of this racing season. “You probably put out $25,000 a month to keep the operation going and there were no races, so my son decided to take the racehorses to Toronto to race them,” says horse owner and trainer, Robbie Robinson. With help from Ontario Racing, some are forced to consider relocating to any of the other 14 tracks in the province. “It’s fine that they give us a relocation allowance, but that still doesn’t bring my family together. That still doesn’t bring harness racing home in the National Capital Region where harness racing was for the last 60 years,” says Archer. Others say their only option may be to shut down operations completely. “(This decision) just changes your whole life,” says Brian Scott owner of South Branch Stables in Brinston, Ont. “We breed our own horses here. They’re raised. We train them. They have a home for life, and then it just changes the scenario. If there’s no racing here, the facility is probably sold, and you move on.” But not all hope is lost just yet. The two sides are still in talks to save the rest of the racing season and the horse racing program. “We have time now,” says horse owner, trainer, and racer Benoit Herbet. “I trust the processes. If we can get to the table, the horsemen, we have a lot of brilliant people. They can make a good plan to make it survive.” Dave Briggs, communications and content specialist with Ontario Racing, says, “The horse people are meeting to try and see what the options are, and they would love to continue racing in the Ottawa area. We don’t blame them. That would be great if we could find a solution… It’s not impossible but there are a lot of regulatory steps to go through before you can conduct a live horse racing meet.” In a statement to CTV News Ottawa, the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa says: “We understand that this decision is deeply disappointing for members of the community, especially those with a long-standing connection to horse racing in Ottawa. This decision was not taken lightly; we are committed to continuing our meaningful impact in the community now and into the future.” A season that was ready to run is now stalled at the gate and hanging on by a thread. “The government is being involved and we’re hoping that something can happen,” says Scott. “We know we’re not entitled to it… but if the funding’s there and the place is there, you know, why can’t we make it work?”
