Ohio Thoroughbred Racing News

Beginning on Monday, February 25th the main office for both the Ohio HBPA and the Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Health Fund is moving to 3860 Broadway, Grove City, OH 43123. Please make a note of it and send all future communications to the new address listed above.

The Ohio HBPA and the Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association are jointly funding an Ohio Racing Economic Impact Study. As part of that study information is being gathered from Ohio racing industry participants through an Ohio Racing Economic Impact Survey. We ask that you click the link below and take 5 to 10 minutes required to fill out the survey to help the Ohio HBPA insure the successful future of Ohio racing. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/OHRacingImpact

Mahoning Valley in cooperation with the Ohio HBPA has scheduled five make up dates for weather and track related cancellations thus far during the 2019 winter-spring meeting. Make up days will be help on Friday, March 15th and Friday. March 29th. The meet which was scheduled to end on Saturday April 20th will now be extended with racing dates added on Monday, April 22nd through Wednesday, April 24th.

Two scholarships are being offered to the sons or daughters of current Ohio HBPA members in 2019. The scholarships are for a total of $7,000 and begin at $1,600 in the first year then increase yearly to $1,700, $1,800 and finally $1,900 in the fourth and final year. The application process and awarding of the scholarships is being handled by College Now Greater Cleveland Inc. These scholarships are offered to the dependents of any Ohio…

Racing and training have been cancelled at Mahoning Valley on Wednesday, January 30th due to extremely cold temperatures and dangerous wind chill factors.

Live racing has been cancelled at Mahoning Valley Race course on Monday, January 21, 2019 due to inclement weather.

Mahoning Valley Racecourse concluded its Fall Meet and 2018 calendar season this past Saturday and did so with yet another annual increase in wagering. Since its launch in 2014, the young racetrack in Austintown, Ohio, has seen handle increases each calendar year since opening its doors. All told, wagering volume on the Mahoning product for 2018 increased 10.6% compared to the prior year. “We are extremely proud to announce yet another increase in handle and…

The Ohio HBPA Board of Directors elected owners John Royer and Dick McCall to fill the two empty owner seats on its board at its meeting held on November 15, 2018. Royer and McCall will each serve four year terms. Dr. George Sikura was elected as an alternate in the owner only category for the next two years.

Trainer or owner/trainer Top three vote getters in trainer or owner/trainer category are elected to a 4 year term. Fourth place finisher is the alternate for the next two years. Joe Poole 215 votes Mike Rone 194 Susan Anderson 171 Mark Doering 136 Rodney Faulkner 118 Don Radcliff Jr. 72 T Owner Only Top vote getter in the owner only category is elected to a 4 year term. Ohio HBPA board of directors will fill…

On June 27, 2018 the Ohio State Racing Commission passed resolution 2018-05 which set the percentage of VLT revenue to be paid to horsemen at Belterra Park at 9.95% thus ending a more than three year push by the Ohio HBPA for the commission to establish the rate. The history of the percentage of revenue horsemen receive from video lottery terminals at Ohio’s three thoroughbred and four standardbred tracks dates back much further however. In…