Page 23 - May 2007 The Game

Canada’s Thoroughbred Racing Newspaper The Game, May 2007 23
HBPA Ontario Update
HBPAAdministrativeOffices:135Queen’sPlateDrive,Suite370,Toronto,ON,M9W6V1 phone:416-747-5252
As a follow up to last months report, I thought it would be willful on my part if I did not expand on the HTA/TRA conference and the discussion surrounding one of its key panels. The title of discussion focused on the “Internet Model” rather than a “Get the people back to the Track Model”. Why is this so important today in our environment? Quite simply, unless we have a special day of racing, with special animals, with special promotions, with special stars/celebrities, our grandstands are virtually empty. We are mislead to some degree by seeing parking lots covered and our eating facilities attended, but let’s clearly understand that many of those patrons are not racing patrons, but gaming patrons. Simply put, we have without question lost the weekday horse racing crowd not only in Ontario, but throughout North America. This conclusion of course
Report from the Executive Director
problems in racing are created by the old outdated business models we are trying to follow and force down a new age customer whose needs and wants have changed. He believes that the product in itself is not broken but could be tweaked in order to be more user friendly. To such end, he is promoting a new Internet Model rather than a “Get the people to the track model”.
Eugene Christiansen concurs with Professor Shanklin and says that racing is married to its old business model, trying to make new fans with pari-mutual machines, which means that racing is continuing to be product oriented, not consumer oriented. He emphasized that it is our responsibility to create interest in racing in this day and age, and that by providing high quality racing at high quality venues, is not enough to save our industry.
excludes boutique meets such as Keeneland, Saratoga, and Del Mar where such racing experiences are unique and limited in scope. If all our industry would offer were these three meets, thousands upon thousands of jobs would simply disappear.
The two experts who
addressed the racing
executives at the conference indicated that the industry is trying to promote the “Model T” in the age of high speed computers and the internet. The two experts, Bill Shanklin and Eugene Christiansen. Professor Bill Shanklin is a business professor at the University of Akron and has written several articles on
racing for years. Eugene Christiansen heads one of the world’s most highly regarded consulting firms on gaming and racing and has been a speaker at several key industry conference over the last decade.
Professor Shanklin warned our industry to not make the same mistakes that other major businesses have made in recent history. He cited
Eastman Kodak’s failure to act on the knowledge that the days of film were over and the digital age was now a reality. Professor Shanklin strongly urged racing to change its corporate culture, stop talk- ing about the good old days and how they use to do things. The professor made it quite clear, that in his opinion, the
Executive Director Nick Coukos
HBPA Skills & Groom School Courses
Trainer Testing for the 2007 Season
The following is the schedule of the Trainer and Assistant Trainer Testing schedule for 2007. All applications for testing must be completed and submitted to the HBPA no later than two weeks prior to the test date. Incomplete applications will not be accepted.
Trainer/Assistant Trainer testing Schedule for 2007: May 23 - Woodbine - applications due May 9.
July 11 - Both Woodbine & Fort Erie
September 12 - Both Woodbine & Fort Erie
For more information or to obtain your application form contact the HBPA Backstretch Office at Woodbine 416-675-3802 or Fort Erie 905-871-3200, ext. 3249.
For those wireless notebook users who want to be connected without plugging into an outlet, the HBPA has now installed “hot spots” at both Woodbine and Fort Erie backstretches. Wireless access can now be made within 100 feet of the backstretch HBPA offices.
The HBPA Office at Fort Erie also has one computer available for backstretch workers to access the internet and their email accounts or look up condition books or entries. The computer is available on a first come basis or you can pre-book a time.
Alcoholics Anonymous Meetings
Every Tuesday
at 1pm
HBPA Trailer Backstretch Woodbine Racetrack
The HBPA will once again be offering Skills and Groom School Courses at both Woodbine and Fort Erie Racetracks beginning in May. The course fees range from $25 to $75 and applications are now available at both HBPA Backstretch offices.
The courses which are being offered include:
Practical Horsemanship/Barn Management:
Duration: 11 week course plus exam, 3 hours per week.
Limited to 10 students per class.
This class is hands-on and teaches the students the proper handling of horses as well
as safety procedures, tacking, bandaging and race preparation of horses.
Anatomy and Physiology of the Horse:
Duration: 12 week course plus exam, 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Limited to 18 students per class.
Topics include basic conformation, anatomy, equine systems and their functions as
well as therapies, shoeing, nutrition, leg problems and lameness.
Thoroughbred Racing Business Course
Duration: 12 week course plus exam, 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Limited to 20 students per class.
This course covers the Rules and Regulations established by the Ontario Racing
Commission, Woodbine Entertainment Group, Nordic Gaming and the HBPA. Also the CPMA (Canadian Pari-Mutuel Association) schedule of drugs, drug testing proce- dures, ethics and legal issues, race office rules and business administration.
For additional information drop by the HBPA Backstretch Offices or call the Woodbine HBPA Backstretch Office 416-675-3802 or the Fort Erie HBPA Backstretch Office at 905-871-3200, ext. 3249.
Attention Pension Plan Members
Members of the Pension Plan should be advised that anyone requiring backdated service should contact Julia Samulak at the HBPA administration office as there is a moratorium on allowing individuals to obtain applicable service. This moratorium is a one time only offer and expires on June 1, 2007. Individuals who have not updated their service need to do so immediately or they will be cashed out as is.
HBPA Backstretch Offices Now Open
The HBPA Backstretch office at Woodbine is now open 7 days a week from 7am to 3pm.
The Backstretch Office at Fort Erie is also now open 7 days a week 7am to 3pm.
The HBPA administration office in Toronto is open year round, Monday to Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm 416-747-5252.
Calling all Readers!!!
Looking for a good book to read? Maybe an oldie that you never got around to reading or the latest best seller. There are a variety of books available at the “Book Swap” at the Fort Erie HBPA Office’s Resource Library. The rules are simple: take a book, leave a book. New books have been added since last year, come and see what we have to offer. Hours 7am to 3 pm daily.
HBPA provides “Hot Spot”
Chiropractor
There will once again be a chiropractor service available every Monday on the backstretch at Woodbine during the 2007 racing season.