News

by Mare Davis
The Review

Recent speculation that the plug
may be pulled on live racing at
Sandown Hamess Raceway is sen-
sationalism and scaremongering,
the B.C. Racing Commission exec-
ulive director said last week.

But Sandown’s owner, Jim

Keeling Sr, said he doubts execu-
tive director Robert Collis’ sincer-
ity. He thinks Sandown is safe for
at least four more years.

Collis said potential changes in
the thoroughbred and standardbred
racing calender next season should
not cause Sandown Raceway to
shut down.

“The racing commission has no
intention of killing any type of
racing on the Island,” he said.

Two proposals submiited by
Cloverdale Raceway and Exhibi-
tion Park to increase the length of
their racing seasons at the expense
of Sandown are being considered
by the commission, Collis said.

However Keeling said the com-
mission feels Sandown is a mar-
ginal business that’s too much
trouble to operate.

“I think the Racing Commis-
sion would like to see (live racing)
discontinued here,” Keeling said.

“But I’m 99 per cent certain,
it'll be back at Sandown next
season.”

The commission is unenthusias-
tic about Sandown because it has
to send race officials from the
Lower Mainland to each meet on
the Peninsula, which isn’t proving
to be very profitable, Keeling said.

Of the $6 million in revenue that
Sandown generated in its last fis-
cal year, only $180,000 in com-
mission was kept by the B.C. horse
racing’s governing body after
taxes, he said.

House break-in

A woman who was house-sitting
a home on Trentleman Place in
Saanichton returned to find the
front door jimmied and the house
ransacked, about 4:10 p.m. Nov.
16.

A small amount of cash, person-
al possessions, credit cards and a
pair of binoculars were reported
missing.

Police believe the house was
entered during daytime hours,
sometime between 8:50 a.m. and 4
p.m. :

By comparison, the Racing
Commission’s slice of Clover-
dale’s takings was about $1.5 mil-
lion, Keeling said.

And any extension of the racing
seasons at Cloverdale and Exhibi-
tion Park would be a better money-
spinner for the commission than
Sandown is, he said.

A Cloverdale Raceway spokes-
man said recently that racing at
Sandown should be abandoned in
favor of a longer and more profita-
ble season on the Mainland.

Keeling said he appreciates
Cloverdale Raceway’s concerns
since it owns Sandown Raceway
and has to subsidize the Sidney

Tace track, which has been losing ~

“a fair size of money” over recent
years.

But Collis said possible impact
on Sandown from proposals to
lengthen the racing season at the
Lower Mainland’s two large tracks
will be thoroughly examined in the
coming months.

And any debate about extending
racing seasons would also involve
“local parties” from Sandown
Raceway, he said.

However, Keeling said he’s
optimistic the live racing sched-
ules at his track will remain

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unchanged for the next four years.
Only when the future of Exhibi-

tion Park is debated in contract

negotiations with the Jockey Club

in 1994 will any real threat to

Sandown possibly present itself,
he said.

The success of teletheatre bet-
ting at the three tracks has to be
measured first before any. propos-
als are seriously considered, Collis
said.

TheReview Wednesday, November 28, 1990 — A16

Sandown safe for four more years — Keeling,

“There’s’s always someone try-
ing to change the scene but the \
Racing Commission won’t support >
a change unless it’s for the better-
ment of racing,” Collis said.

__ We won't discourage live rac-
ing.”

An application from Sandown
Raceway for standardbred racing
next season has already been
received by the commission, he
added.

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