Race track bets future on $35-million deal Woodbine won’t sign

Fort Erie Race Track opened its 129th season Sunday with a huge turnout, but the party has a $35-million price tag.

The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation and Ontario Racing have both given the thumbs up to a new provincial funding agreement for Fort Erie Race Track, but Woodbine Entertainment Group, Ontario’s largest racing operator and the only party with veto power over the deal, is blocking it over a dispute about how the $35 million would be divided.

Track spokesperson James Culic told Fort Erie Radio the operation has enough money to run through this season, but warned that 2027 is now in jeopardy. Rising hay, fuel and operational costs have already squeezed horse people hard enough to push some out of the industry entirely.

Breeders are breeding fewer horses and trainers are preparing fewer horses to compete.

“We could be in a very tight spot next year if this doesn’t get done,” Culic said.

“There’s no immediate risk of job loss because we’ve got the funding that we need to continue operating the track. But because of what’s happened with inflation…everything is costing more for our horsemen to operate.”

Woodbine, a not-for-profit corporation operating Ontario’s two largest horse-racing tracks in Toronto and Milton, demanded a larger cut of the $35-million agreement, stalling the deal for all 13 other tracks in the province.

MPP Wayne Gates raised the stalled deal at Queen’s Park in April, pressing the province to force the agreement through.

“We’re hearing about restrictions that prevent horses from moving freely between tracks and scheduling decisions that push the Prince of Wales out of the peak summer season,” Gates told Queen’s Park.

Gates has also said workers at the track have gone nearly a decade without a purse increase while costs have risen steadily. He has warned those pressures could force workers to leave Fort Erie entirely.

“I’m calling on the government to finalize the agreement as intended,” Gates said. “Protect jobs, ensure a fair and balanced horse racing industry.”

Ward 1 Councillor George McDermott watched opening day from the grounds Sunday, telling Fort Erie Radio the annual reopening carries weight in Fort Erie that goes beyond a race card.

“Every year that we have an opening day, we just thank God for that because it’s always under pressure,” said McDermott.

He connected the track directly to the town’s employment history, noting that generations of Fort Erie residents held the track as a first job.

“We’ve got to keep fighting for a piece of our history here,” he said. “This was one of the first jobs for a lot of people.”

The 2026 season runs from May 31 to October 20, and the 91st Prince of Wales Stakes is scheduled for Labour Day, September 7.

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