Howard HamiltonEARLY one August morning fire raged through barns 7 and 7A at the Woodbine racetrack in northwest Toronto, killing 32 of Canada's most prized race horses. The H-configured barn, valued at C$3 million was reduced to ashes. Buried in the rubble were the investment and aspirations of the heavy losers - three trainers who lost 14, 13 and 4 of their horses respectively.
For those individuals, this unmitigated disaster marked a significant hurdle in their racing fortunes.
Elsewhere such misfortune could well be the end of the run for the racing facility. But for the Woodbine racetrack, one of the most modern, diversified and successful racetracks in the world, the fire, though disastrous should only be a temporary hitch in its programme that combines traditional horse racing with a broad array of entertainment, a concept that has been gaining currency at progressive racetracks throughout the world.
Woodbine is Canada's most prominent track and the innovative approach taken to its operation by its parent corporation, Woodbine Entertainment Group, formerly the Ontario Jockey Club (OJC), has made it a model of modernity and a total entertainment experience. For these reasons, it is likely that, as disastrous as the fire was, Woodbine will hardly break stride in its successful run as a pacesetting example of how to run a track.
Woodbine has been successful in bringing the excitement of racing to people in Southern Ontario, and indeed all over the world and has the distinction of being the only racetrack in North America that can offer both standardbred and thoroughbred racing on the same day. The Woodbine Entertainment Group also owns and operates Mohawk Racetrack, 32 kilometres west of Toronto at Campbellville and Hastings racecourse in Vancouver. In Standardbred racing, the prestigious Breeder's Crown makes frequent visits to Mohawk and Woodbine.
Continuing the success it achieved under its former name, the OJC, the Woodbine Group is today the largest horseracing operation in Canada, and in terms of live racing programmes conducted is one of the largest in the world. Last year the group's racetracks accounted for 48 percent of total wagering at Canadian racetracks and 71 percent of wagering in the province of Ontario.
The group employs more than 3,000 full and part-time employees, and through its tracks directly impacts the employment of close to 28,000 people. The Woodbine Entertainment Group generated business in excess of $1.2 billion in 2000. Interestingly, the group is a not-for-profit corporation.
The present Woodbine, which has undergone several multi-million-dollar expansions and upgrades, was opened in 1956 and today reflects the group's goal to provide at its tracks the highest quality horseracing and the best facilities for the public and those involved in the business.
It has emerged as something of a gold standard in the transformation from a racetrack to a total entertainment package offering a range of racing, gaming, and entertainment products, which are available across North America and virtually worldwide through Internet sites.
All the organisational and design features aside, however, it is innovativeness that has distinguished Woodbine from other tracks and the innovations that it has produced have set a new standard for others to follow. Would that we could find a formula to create a similarly fertile environment in which racing could flourish.
Caymanas could have a far greater role to play in tourism and social life in Jamaica if we could broaden our vision a little.
Next week, I will complete my review of the innovative developments at Canada's Woodbine track.
