Page 6 - The Game January 2006

6 The Game, January 2006 Your Thoroughbred Racing Community Newspaper
Greetings from the Gate Crew at Hastings
Al McAfee’s 2005 gate crew at Hastings
wish everyone the best of the season and much success in 2006. Photo by Jim Reynolds
Did You Know.....
That Multiple Graded Stakes winner Afleet Alex (Northern Afleet - Maggy Hawk, by Hawkster) will enter stud in 2006 at Gainesway Farm in Lexington, Kentucky for a fee of $40,000.
Kabel Receives 3000th win Ring
Jockey Todd Kabel, who most recently won his fifth Sovereign Award as Canada’s top rider, was feted for career milestone win 3,000 during Woodbine’s closing day ceremonies on December 11.
Kabel collected his 3,000th victory at Woodbine on October 29 aboard two-year- old filly Sprightly for trainer Robert Frankel and Stronach Stables.
The presentation took place after Woodbine’s third race.
Glenn Crouter (second from right, Woodbine Entertainment’s Vice-President of Media & Community Relations, presented the ring on behalf of the company to Kabel.
“It’s a great pleasure and honour to present this watch to Todd Kabel for 3,000 wins,” Crouter said in the paddock
proceeding. “It’s a great milestone. I’m sure we’ll be giving Todd a watch soon for 4,000 career wins.”
Kabel, who had his fiancée, Jodi, daughter Ashley and mother-in-law Diane with him at the ceremony, was grateful for the ring.
“I’d like to thank Woodbine Entertainment for this beautiful ring,” Kabel said, “plus all the owners, trainers and press that have helped me out. It’s been a tremendous season this year and just being here has been a benefit to my riding career.”
Pictured here from left to right are Diane Allen, Ashley Kabel, Jodi Allen, Todd Kabel, Glenn Crouter, and Renee Keirans.
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Wagering Increase in 2005 at Woodbine
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Woodbine Entertainment Group has restated its views on non-racetrack rebate operations by denying International Racing Group (IRG) access to pools hosted by Woodbine.
"We, as an industry, cannot afford to continue to legitimize these non-racetrack rebate operations," said David Willmot, Chairman and C.E.O. of WEG. "Our long term success depends on a significant
re-investment in the racing industry which is something that these organizations do not deliver."
The racing business relies on substantial contributions from wagering revenues to fund breeding programs, purses and overall infrastructure. Non-racetrack rebate operators are not contributing enough to achieve these objectives, even with their claims of generating increased handle.
This is not the first time rebaters have been shut out of the Woodbine pools. Woodbine stopped selling to similar operators in early 2004 after racetrack customers were solicited by some rebate operators.
"The effect on handle has been inconsequential," said Steve Mitchell, Senior Vice-President and C.F.O. "We have been able to recoup that lost handle and more."
Information by WEG Media Relations
Woodbine Entertainment Group announced an increase in wagering for the live thoroughbred meet over the 2004 campaign. An "all-sources" total of $364,436,580 was wagered in 2005 compared to the $338,349,020 recorded in 2004, an increase of
7.71%.
In the Toronto market, $131,550,930 was wagered this year
compared to the $132,430,010 recorded in 2004.
Average field size at Woodbine was 8.5 horses per race this
year, compared to 8.6 horses per race in 2004.
Overnight and stakes purses paid out in 2005 totalled $81.5
million versus $80.3 million paid last year. Information from WEG Media Relations Dept.
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