Harness: Profile of Cal Expo General Manager Chris Schick

What kind of car do you drive?

I'm seriously considering purchasing a Polestar [Electric car]. I have a mint 2005 Lexus 430 that I purchased new with 48K miles. My everyday tank is a 2007 Mercedes 450 SUV with 82K which was also purchased new. It's pretty evident I'm not a road warrior!

Favorite dinner meal? Snack?

Alaskan Halibut, Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.

What is your favorite all-time track to visit? Why?

The Delaware County Fair. The feeling you get there is almost unlike any other. It really makes you be proud to be connected with the sport.

What is your favorite big event in racing?

The Hambletonian. I get up early and enjoy a power-packed day of great racing!

How did you get start in harness racing?

My first trip to a track was Monticello in its heyday, 1971. Two of my best friends growing up were Steve and Dave Ferraro. They both subsequently became Professional bowlers. Their father Jack was a part-time trainer/driver and had a nice little farm just on the outskirts of my hometown of Kingston. We would often go to Monticello and Saratoga to watch his horses race. The whole social atmosphere, the characters, the handicapping, it was totally addicting.

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As far as working in the sport, your roots are in simulcasting, right?

Yes. I started as Director of Simulcasting at Los Alamitos in December of 1993, five days before the meet opened. I had never worked a day in the industry prior. As you might imagine, it was quite a learning curve, but I loved every minute. Our group took over Cal Expo in 1995. When Los Alamitos dropped harness racing after 2000, we transitioned the Los Alamitos dates to Cal Expo. It turned out that I just happened to be in the right segment of the industry at the right time. A memorable moment was when Cal Expo was the second track to stream its live races for free on Broadcast.com. We now laugh at the seemingly ever buffering dial-up internet age.

You were General Manager at Cal Expo for the Sacramento Harness Association but left in 2007. What made you leave?

I became General Manager of Sacramento harness when a new group took over in 2005. I always promised my wife at the time that I would retire and parent with her if we fortunate enough to have a baby. I retired in May of 2007 three months before my daughter Annie's birth.

Your Golden Bear Racing is inching in on year 10 running Cal Expo under the Watch and Wager banner. Have things gone as planned during that time?

When Watch and Wager took over the lease at Cal Expo in 2012 the California industry was in shambles. The recession had hit hard. Cal Expo had conducted a national search for an operator with no luck. It was a very risky proposition. Ben Kenney urged me to partner with him to take over the lease. I certainly didn't want the industry to end in California. During negotiations with Cal Expo for the lease, Ed Comins from Watch and Wager called us expressing his company's interest in joining forces. We formed a partnership which has grown very strong over the past decade. Our plan at the time was simply survival for us and our dedicated horseman. I think overall the past 10 years has gone exceptionally well. We have been able to raise purses to a level 70% above 2011. I'm fairly confident if you asked Watch and Wager, they would be very happy with the current position.

Cal Expo has survived without casino subsidies for years. Were there times you thought the party could be over and it would have to close?

Our biggest worry even to this day is what our product will look like year to year. We clearly have enough market share to survive if we can field a competitive product.

How important is it for you to have Ben Kenney by your side with Golden Bear Racing LLC?

Ben is actually responsible for getting me back in 2012. He said we both had too much invested not to give it a go. Ben was President of the CHHA for 10 years and we always had a strong relationship. Even though he had never worked in the management side when we began in 2012, his career in the hedge fund world proved very valuable. We complement each other well to this day.

Cal Expo offers incentives to lure horsemen. How did that idea come to pass?

We started the new horse incentive program back in 2005. We had lost many of our top stables to Racino tracks the preceding decade. The program today has been expanded to include returning horses as well as new horses. All of the incentive money is paid directly into the owners account. The annual cost of the program is right in the neighborhood of $200,000. The program is essential to our business model.

Despite a tight revenue stream you decided to add an HD simulcast signal. Was that simply a necessity in today's simulcast world?

I believe it was/will be a necessity. TVG is moving their programing to all clean feed HD broadcast. Cal Expo always looked dark in simulcast land. The lighting has aged and we do not have limestone surface to reflect light. The HD has really brought our signal to life. It was a risky investment to upgrade during the pandemic, especially with our entire California network shut down at the time. We couldn't be happier with the way it turned out.

Where do you see Cal Expo five or 10 years from now?

We feel good about where we are today. Our purses are slightly over $50,000 a day. The hopes of any type of Racino or purse subsidy for the future is pretty much out of the question. We just have to keep grinding. I see us reinforcing our position as a solid mid-level winter meet.

Our biggest concern is a ballot measure that would prohibit horse racing. We have been through quite a lot here in California the past few years.

What is your favorite sport to watch? Team?

I grew up as a diehard Yankee fan. I really enjoy watching the Golf channel late at night when they show the day's replay.

What is one thing about you most fans/bettors don't know?

That I'm a wanna-be Argentine Tango dancer!

What is one word that describes harness racing for you?

Passion.

Do you have a favorite horse from your time in the sport?

It would definitely be Hi Ho Silverheels. Milan Smith, who I knew fairly well, purchased the Walton Hanover colt for $1,600. It was a truly a rags-to-riches story. He was named after his good friend and fellow stuntman Jay Silverheels. Jay was better known as Tonto in the Lone Ranger, but was also an amateur harness driver. Hi Ho Silverheels made like $1.7 million for Milan. He is still alive and standing stud in California.

What was your favorite moment in harness racing?

It's a tough one, but I'd have to say it was the day this 16-year-old fan sold two live twin-double exchange tickets for $300 at Green Mountain Park. I was making $80 a week at the time and this guy peeled off three crisp $100 bills. That is still vividly imprinted in my mind.

You spent more than 20 years as a member of the USTA Board of Directors. At 60-plus members, are there too many cooks in the kitchen?

I never perceived the Board as too big at all. I thought the diversity actually made the organization stronger. Through attrition, the USTA has been asked to do things that were never really envisioned. The USTA has faced a huge budgetary challenges with declining membership and foal production. It's not easy to provide more services, become the sports marketing arm, and provide support and grants to many worthwhile organizations when at the same time revenues are shrinking. I have great respect for the organization and its dedicated Directors and staff. It was an honor to serve my district and have a voice in the national debate.

It's been about 10 years since you floated the Strategic Wagering idea to the USTA. Has it met or exceeded your expectations?

I would say it has somewhat met my expectations, but my vision had grandiose plans that haven't evolved yet. The fact that we are 10 years down the road and the program has never been stronger is satisfying. The program was founded on the belief that pool liquidity was harness racing's biggest wagering issue. The objective was to promote a nightly signature wager with a large pool relative to the track's market share. We are currently guaranteeing over one thousand wagers per year.

Let's talk about your new venture in Cumberland, Maine. You just completed your first meet. Would you call it a success?

I would call the first part of the plan very much a success. With the closure of 70-year-old Scarborough Downs this past November, there were a lot of questions about the future of Southern Maine racing. We were able to transition those dates to Cumberland and virtually keep business as usual in Southern Maine. We reopen in November and race through December 31st, so more challenges lie ahead. The facility and racetrack have actually performed very well. The horsemen and Commission have really been helpful as well.

You raced at the fairgrounds to start but a new track is in the future. When do you see that coming to fruition?

We operate Cumberland for the Cianchette family. They are committed to building a new racetrack and multi-use facility in Southern Maine. My best guess at this point would be fall of 2023 or spring of 2024. You will hear more about those plans before year's end.

Can Cumberland, partnered with the current track at Bangor, help to revitalize the sport in Maine?

It will certainly help. We are located between Bangor to the North, and Plainridge to the South. This past spring calendar had racing seven days-a-week on the three-track circuit with no overlap. Many of our horseman at Cumberland also race Bangor and Plainridge every week. We have also collaborated with Bangor on purse structure, late closing series, and week-to-week condition sheet classes. We have also expanded the calendar to include November and December racing this year. Bangor will reopen after the Fair season and close at the end of October. We will open early in November and race right until December 31st.

You're a track executive that enjoys handicapping and wagering. Does that give you a better perspective on the business?

Absolutely! It's very hard to put yourself in that position unless you've been there.

You are also involved in the sport as an owner. How many horses do you have?

I currently campaign two, both at Running Aces. Pridecrest is the stable star. He is a hard-knocking honest Open trotter at Aces. I purchased a piece of my first horse in 1977 and with the exception of about five years when I moved to California, have always had varying degrees of ownership interest.

If you had the power to change one thing in the sport, what would it be?

The racing information we provide our patrons. I feel as if our program is virtually no different than the program I purchased my first night in 1971. We should have detailed trip notes in the program. We should have photo eye charts like in the old Sports Eye. We need to assure the public is given a legitimate morning line.

How do you view the future of harness racing?

Very bullish. We have no real fatality issues in our sport. Handle has been strong. The breeding market is strong. There are many groups out there currently that will bet many times more than currently if we provide larger pool size. For all of the horrific things related to the current epidemic, a couple hundred-thousand new players of people now have new betting accounts. Many of these are millennials. There is no better time than now for the industry to laser focus on the wants and needs of this new group.

Time for the stretch drive:

Best Driver Ever?: John Campbell

Best Trainer Ever?: Ron Burke

Favorite TV Show?: Shark Tank followed closely by Rock legends on AXS

Trotters or Pacers?: Trotters all day!