Local horse racing still on track

Horse racing appears to have moved out of the starting gate for this year’s Northwest Montana Fair, even though it’s not clear yet how the funding will play out for two days of racing.

Mike Tatsey, vice chairman of the Montana Board of Horse Racing, along with local race organizers Janis Schoepf and Debbie Cunnington, met Tuesday with the Flathead County commissioners to gauge county support for horse racing.

While the commissioners offered general support, they told racing representatives they need to meet with the Fair Board and Fair Manager Mark Campbell to solidify this year’s race program. It’s up to the Fair Board to commit money to racing, they said.

“You need to sit down and hash out a working agreement,” Commissioner Dale Lauman said. “And I think you can work out a real good relationship. I think [racing] can be successful.”

Local organizers are way ahead of where they were a year ago when they got the horse racing program back on track after a five-year hiatus. Last year Schoepf and Cunnington applied for race dates after the deadline and thus weren’t able to get any financial support from the state.

That will change this year.

The state board recently took over simulcast horse racing when Montana Entertainment’s license expired. A percentage of the simulcast earnings go toward paying the race purse in Kalispell. Scotty’s Bar is the local venue for simulcast racing.

“The state board would be able to put up at least a day’s worth of purses, and we pay for the [jockey] insurance,” Tatsey said.

Rising insurance costs for jockeys was one of the key reasons the county put horse racing out to pasture in 2005.

Ryan Sherman, executive secretary of the state Board of Horse Racing, sent a letter to the commissioners this week, noting the success of last year’s restarted race program at the Northwest Montana Fair.

In two days of racing, more than $103,000 was wagered on 16 races offered.

“That was an average handle of $51,500, one of the best averages for racing in Northwest Montana for many years,” Sherman said.

The board saw a statewide handle of $1.4 million last year, an increase of $421,000 over 2009, thanks in part to the return of live racing on the west side of the state, he said, asking for Flathead County’s support.

“We do understand that counties can’t justify financially supporting a whole race meet as it once did,” Sherman said, urging the commissioners to continue building on the partnership formed between the fair and local race organizers last year.

Campbell said he’s finishing up the fairgrounds budget for the 2012 fiscal year that begins July 1.

“We need to sit down and see what [their] needs are,” Campbell said. “The Fair Board would love to have this organization continue. Racing is a good part of the fair program.”

The state board has approved horse racing for Aug. 20-21 at the Kalispell fairgrounds.

With racing programs still are up in the air in Great Falls and Missoula, it’s possible Kalispell could pick up some extra state money, and even an extra afternoon of racing if Great Falls were to bow out of racing, Schoepf said.

She told the commissioners that just a little financial help and access to county equipment they weren’t allowed to use last year would go a long way toward making horse racing profitable.

The 2010 races in Kalispell were privately funded with a huge commitment from the Flathead business community. Schoepf said she’s still $3,000 in the hole from last year but is working with creditors to get the remaining bills wrapped up.

The investment paid off for the fair, though, with fair attendance numbers that were up 56 percent over 2009. Two days of racing were credited with bringing in more than 10,000 spectators.

“It stood on its own two feet,” Schoepf said about the Kalispell races. “It’s obvious we’re viable for the fair.”

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.