It's anybody's bet whether the Northwest Montana Fair will ever have horse racing again.

Horse racing is now a long shot

For now, though, the gates are closed on the long tradition for fair-goers.

The county commissioners Thursday decided unanimously that the cost of insuring the event, combined with its marginal profitability, make it a losing proposition for the county. There will be no racing this summer.

It's not that the sport doesn't have a strong fan base. Some supporters spoke up to oppose the commissioners' decision.

They suggested ways of increasing revenue from the races by charging admission or allowing beer sales. The Montana Board of Horse Racing has also offered to help racetracks pay insurance premiums that will double to $2,000 per day, plus a $10,000 up-front deductible.

The commissioners, though, won't budget anything for insurance.

They decided to suspend the races for a year. The same discussion happened with a different outcome in Missoula, where a motion to cancel the races died for a lack of a second on Wednesday.

It's a tough decision for commissioners, who recognize the sentimentality attached to the century-long tradition of the fair. Horse racing has long been an integral part of that.

But last fall, the county calculated that racing has cost taxpayers $194,000 in the last four years. It's hard to justify that cost for entertainment.

The commissioners haven't struck racing from the fair program forever. Thursday, they held out the possibility that the starting gun could sound again.

But that will only happen if someone comes up with a plan that will make the event no longer a financial liability to the public. Although no one is jockeying for position right now to take it over, a private enterprise might be the solution. That could still involve charging admission to the races or even allowing beer sales, which would generate receipts.

It will be strange this summer without the thunder of hooves at the fair. We hope the silence will move some creative minds to come up with a plan that will restore the event and keep the fair on track.