Fort Erie opens meet Tuesday with sense of optimism

Fort Erie Race Track will begin its 117th season of live racing Tuesday afternoon, kicking off a 37-day meet that runs through Sept. 30.

While the track has been fighting for survival the past few years, the mood is much different ahead of this season after Fort Erie reached a three-year deal with the Ontario government this winter for racing dates.

“Everybody’s very optimistic,” said Rick Cowan, the track’s chief operating officer. “We’ve got a good turnout in terms of horses. I would say on a scale of 1 to 10, we’re close to a 10 in terms of optimism and a positive outlook for the season.”

Cowan estimates that 250 horses are stabled on the Fort Erie backstretch, and 60 horses were entered for Tuesday’s eight-race card. Cowan confirmed that purses for the meet will remain at 2013 levels, when Fort Erie distributed an average of $119,281 per day for 41 cards.

The prospect of a 2014 season at Fort Erie appeared grim last October, when the government-commissioned Horse Racing Transition Panel left the track out of a long-term plan for the province’s horse-racing industry. Eventually, the province increased its funding commitment to horse racing, allowing Fort Erie to secure racing dates for this season and at least two additional years.

“There was some pessimism,” Cowan said. “But this is my fifth year here, and we’ve been fighting every year to get approval for racing dates, and we’ve been successful. With that in the back of my mind, I knew we would come out on top.”

The meet once again will be highlighted by the $500,000 Prince of Wales Stakes, the second jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown, on July 29. The track experimented with moving the Prince of Wales to a Tuesday evening last season, which paid off with significant increases in attendance and handle.

“It was well received,” Cowan said. “Simulcasting-wise, it was a huge hit because we didn’t have the competition we usually have on a Sunday.”

The $75,000 Rainbow Connection Stakes, a five-furlong turf sprint for Ontario-sired fillies and mares, will be run on Prince of Wales day and is the only other listed stakes race on the Fort Erie schedule.

The track will hold its traditional Cup races this season, including the Molson Cup and the Puss n Boots Cup, which are restricted to horses who have made a minimum number of starts at Fort Erie during the meet.

Fort Erie will conduct racing on Sundays and Tuesdays, with first post for Sunday cards scheduled for 2 p.m. Eastern and Tuesday cards beginning at 4:15 p.m.