Page 9 - The Hunt - Spring 2021

Lost Season?
Horse racing battles
hard in the shadow
of COVID-19.
By Michael Bradley
There may be worse times to begin a job built around the staging of a large event than during
a pandemic, but it might be hard to convince Andrea Collins what those other circumstances might be. During her inaugural turn as race director for the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup, Collins tried to craft a working schedule that would produce the 86th staging of the meet. “As it all evolved, we weren’t ever sure we were going to have an event,” Collins says.
In the end, the Hunt Cup was indeed staged—on
Nov. 1, 2020. And though there was no hospitality, tailgating or fancy outfits, there was a strong group of riders and a donation to the Chester County Food Bank that was $5,000 greater than 2019. “It was really important that we held it,” Collins says. “One reason was to support the horse industry, which has a lot of jobs associated with it. The second was to help the food bank.”
During the pandemic-induced uncertainty of 2020, many businesses have suffered, and industries like commercial real estate have seen dramatic changes
in how they operate. Meanwhile, the world of sports has been on a rollercoaster that’s featured bubbles, cancellations, rescheduling and just about any kind of upheaval you can imagine.
The local horse-racing community has suffered through a remarkably uncertain time, as well. Some have forged ahead, making accommodations and concessions to COVID-19 and the steps necessary to control its spread. Others had to suspend operations for 2020 and regroup for the future. “Obviously, it’s quite different— something we’ve never been through,” says Barry Brown, who’s in his 15th year as director of racing operations at Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino and Racetrack.
A typical race season at Harrah’s lasts from April to mid-December. This year, because of state-mandated shutdowns, Harrah’s didn’t bring its first horses to the post until June 21. “When it was all said and done, there were 41 days lost,” Brown says.
Although Harrah’s had to sacrifice a sizable chunk of its schedule—along with promotional programs like
Sunday Family Days—it still did good business while it could, thanks to the growing opportunities presented by online betting. Pennsylvania horse players were able to get action on races at Harrah’s and on tracks throughout the country via PABets.tvg.com.
According to Brown, Harrah’s still enjoyed full
race fields into the fall, at a time when the number of horses falls off some. More importantly, he reports that wagering on the casino site was up 30 percent, offsetting the loss of revenue during the stoppage and throughout the season. “I definitely think the racing industry got an assist from what was happening in the sporting world,” Brown says. “The NBA and NHL shut down, and MLB didn’t play the start of the season. We were able to get visibility, and maybe we created some new fans.”
Back in the steeplechase world, Radnor Hunt had to cancel its 2020 event schedule, including the Radnor Hunt Races and the Brandywine Hills Point-to-Point festival, both of which take place in the spring. The club is planning to stage each race in 2021. Unionville, Pa.’s Willowdale Steeplechase and Delaware’s Point-to- Point at Winterthur will also return this year. This past October, Willowdale hosted the first Louis “Paddy” Neilson III Apprentice Timber Race, minus spectators.
Whether it involves regular racing or special events, the idea is to get back to enjoying the sport and the pageantry that surrounds it. And the fact some of the regular activities were able to continue—albeit in an altered state—meant a lot. “It was a humbling experience,” Collins says. “So many people stepped up to help.”
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JIM GRAHAM