Another season of horse racing has concluded in Leamington and officials say the year was an enormously successful one.
The final race day of the season was Sunday and it ended the season on a high note, according to Tom Bain with the Lakeshore Horse Raceway Association.
"This season for us this year is the best we've ever experienced. We just had a tremendous year as far as attendance goes, our attendance was way up, and our betting was way up," said Bain, also the mayor of Lakeshore and Essex County warden.
While exact attendance figures were not immediately known, Bain did say the average betting intake per race day was significantly higher than the goals they set.
"We've averages about $28,000 in wagering every Sunday, so wagering is way up. We had a previous goal of $20,000," said Bain.
The season itself consisted of 13 Sundays at Leamington Raceway. The success of the season was in contrast to projections this past winter that the future of racing in Essex County was in doubt, but Bain said they were able to prove to the Ontario Racing Commission that the pastime could be successful there, and that drivers and trainers have been coming from as far as London to race in Leamington. Bain also said that the local economy has been benefitting.
"The Lakeshore group has certainly worked hard and has saved a lot of jobs in the local area," said Bain, who estimated that since horse racing began in Leamington four years ago, over $6.6 million have been pumped into the local economy.
With the success of this season, Bain is already looking forward to next year. He is hoping to add more dates to the program for 2017 and expand betting options. Currently, only live betting is allowed in Leamington but Bain said the association is looking into simulcast betting to be added.