Hastings Racing Club makes horse ownership affordable

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – There are a lot of people excited about Urban Achiever arriving at Hastings this weekend. A 2-year-old colt by Idiot Proof, Urban Achiever is the first horse owned by the Hastings Racing Club. Trainer Steve Henson purchased Urban Achiever on behalf of the club for $25,000 out of the Barretts May sale of 2-year-olds in training May 28 at Del Mar.

The Hastings Racing Club is a fun and inexpensive way for anyone wanting to learn about the joys and pitfalls of horse ownership. It costs $250 per year to join the club. Besides the thrill of being a horse owner, benefits include access to the backstretch, free parking, free programs, paddock access, and special seating when a club-owned horse runs. The only other expense will be the $30 licensing fee for owners required by the Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch, which regulates horse racing in British Columbia.

Emerald Downs started a similar group last year. There are differences, though. At Emerald, the cost is $500 per year. The money is used for buying horses and all the expenses associated, including the licensing fee. At Hastings, the horses are being bought with money left over from last year’s promotional budget for the industry. The money raised will cover all the other expenses.

Both clubs dissolve at the end of their respective meets, and any money left will be dispersed to club members.

Richard Yates, secretary-treasurer of the local Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, is managing the Hastings Racing Club. The goal is to have 200 members.

“We just started the club, and there has been a strong response,” said Yates. “We already have over 80 members, mostly new people to the industry, and I am looking forward to meeting a lot of them when we get together for the first time next weekend.”

According to Joe Withee, director of media relations at Emerald, there are 187 members of the Emerald club.

“It was a good experience last year,” said Withee. “One of the horses the club owned, Dancing Yodeler, won a couple of races. I think we gave $177 back to the members at the end of the season.”

The first goal of the club is to get new people involved in racing, with the hope that they will eventually fall in love with the sport and then venture out on their own.

James Perkins and his wife, Mary Beth Holt-Perkins, are exactly the kind of people Yates is hoping to attract at Hastings. They joined the Emerald group last year and then jumped into horse ownership in a big way when they purchased Belle Hill for $250,000 and Gloria’s Angelo for $110,000 at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Kentucky summer sale of horses of racing age.

Those two 3-year-olds, trained by Larry Ross, have both won since they were purchased. Gloria’s Angelo was the runner-up in the $50,000 Auburn Handicap on May 24, and Belle Hill is coming off a fourth-place finish in the $50,000 Seattle Handicap for 3-year-old fillies May 31. Ross is also the trainer for the Emerald club.

“I grew up near Oaklawn Park and have been betting on horses for a long time,” said James Perkins. “I was interested in owning horses but didn’t know anyone in the industry, so I wasn’t sure about how to go about it. When I heard about the Emerald Racing Club, I thought it was a perfect way to get involved. I golf a lot, my wife doesn’t, and we thought this would be a great way for us to spend some more time together. She loves the horses, and it has been great having someone we can trust lead us through the experience. We’re looking to buy more horses.”

Anyone interested in joining the Hastings club can contact Yates at rayates@shaw.ca.