Horsepeople craft plan to correct fatal flaw in Ontario racing

Owner Mark Beaven said there’s a fatal flaw in the three-tiered harness racing system enacted in Ontario in 2014 – it’s virtually impossible to turn a profit racing in the middle or lower tiers with the purse structure fixed at $65,000 and $35,000 per card, respectively.

“How can I in good faith go to colleagues of mine and say, ‘Why don’t you think about investing $20,000 or $30,000 into a racehorse this year. Oh yeah, by the way, if you win everything or you finish in the top three in every race, you’re still going to lose money?’” Beaven asked Thursday.

“The industry is in really dire straits because of this.”