Thursday, June 11, 2009
The race to save Virginia's thoroughbreds
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Glenn Petty
Petty is the executive director of the Virginia Thoroughbred Association in Warrentown and the chairman of the Virginia Horse Industry Board.
Fans of the commonwealth's thoroughbred racing and breeding industry were disappointed Saturday when Virginia-bred Charitable Man finished fourth in the Belmont Stakes. While the 3-year-old colt ran a good race, coming up short in the final leg of this year's Triple Crown was disarmingly indicative of the path this traditional industry has been on over the past 10 years. This year's race provides yet another good opportunity to examine what is right and what is wrong with an industry that once produced Triple Crown winner Secretariat.
What's right is we have a quality facility in Colonial Downs with a world-class and very popular turf course. What is also obviously right is that we still have enough talented horsemen and breeders that we can produce the likes of Kentucky Derby contender Quality Road and Charitable Man, who came close to winning the Belmont.
What is wrong is simply that Virginia can't compete with other states in the Mid-Atlantic region for the simple reason that some 4 million people in the state (some 3 million in Northern Virginia) can't conveniently place a bet on a horse race that ultimately benefits Virginia and Virginians.
Recently, I asked Gov. Tim Kaine and the Virginia General Assembly to change the legislative requirements to allow Virginia to recapture lost revenue generated by more than $100 million a year in wagers being placed by Virginians in nearby West Virginia and Maryland.
No, the thoroughbred breeders in the commonwealth don't want slot machines. We simply want to be able to distribute the pari-mutuel wagering product to populated areas across the state to maximize the economic impact on thoroughbred breeding and racing, agribusiness and the preservation of green space.
So please take a moment to consider the very real possibility of losing thoroughbred horse farms across the state -- forever.
It is interesting to note that a few years ago the tobacco industry was in crisis. In spite of public outcries about the health hazards related to smoking, the Virginia General Assembly saw fit to help that segment of agriculture. I would suggest the situation facing the thoroughbred breeding industry is just as dire and just as well worth saving while not nearly as controversial.
The proposed solution is simple. Currently, to open an off-track betting outlet permission must be granted via a local referendum. Nothing of this sort is required for the Virginia lottery, which has 4,928 retail outlets compared to horseracing's nine outlets. All the thoroughbred industry is asking for is a more level playing field.
If the General Assembly would pass legislation that removes the local referendum as an OTB requirement and replaces it with some other form of local government and/or Virginia Racing Commission approval, we could rapidly rebuild the industry that produced Triple Crown winner Secretariat as well as the gifted Quality Road and Charitable Man.
Some members of the General Assembly and some other Virginians will oppose such a proposal, stating they are opposed to the expansion of gambling. However, take a moment to look at that position realistically. Every time a new convenience store opens, a new residential computer is turned on for the first time or a qualified organization receives a permit for charitable gaming, gambling expands.
The "expansion of gambling" argument rings hollow to horse farmers struggling to hang on to their land and their traditional way of life when the state of Virginia expands its lottery gambling at every opportunity.
Recently, an article was published in a trade journal titled "Virginia Racing Industry Stymied On All Fronts." It concludes: "The current state of Virginia racing is not good and no one has a magic wand to make things different." Nothing could be further from the truth.
Virginia's horse racing and breeding industries don't need expanded gambling by way of slot machines or other forms of alternative gambling. All we need is the ability to place small OTBs in populated areas after receiving local government approval. It's as simple as that.
So there is a magic wand and it is held firmly by the members of the General Assembly. So now that Virginia-bred Charitable Man has come up just a little short in his effort to become the 12th Virginia horse to win the prestigious Belmont Stakes, I hope the members of the General Assembly will consider waving that wand around just long enough to save thoroughbred breeding in the commonwealth. Doing so will also make horse racing at Colonial Downs into a major sport of which all Virginians can be proud.
