Page 89 - The Rankin Family and Harness Racing

ISSUE : Issue 45

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1987/6/1

is not fast, it's been snow-covered all winter and there's ice melting on it--it's heavy footing. It's not like a track in Ju? ly, you know. The drier the track, the faster it will get. (How did he do in his next 2 races after that?) He won them, the times were quicker, but they were more evened out, like the first half in 1.04 and the last half in 1.04, (That evening we talked on about the wis? dom of holding onto a horse like Donmar Clearly, every Rain, or selling him awa' week he races in Sydney he's goiti' fo' small purse, and any nximber of things can happen to his salability. Donnie made it " clear that to him this is a business.) If you want to stay in it, you can't get too emotionally involved. Oh for sure I think more of Donmar Rain than probably one you'd buy, because he was around ever since he was a colt. But you've got to think of the economics. To race him in Syd? ney- -let's be honest--if he won every race the rest of his life in Sydney, he wouldn't make any money to speak of. The purses are too small. Like he's got 7 starts, 7 wins--and $1100 made. STUBBERT'S Convenience Stores Videos * Lottery Tickets * Film * Frozen Foods * Magazines * Snacks 24 Hours: 172 Main Street, Sydney Mines Corner George & Glenwood, Sydney 275 Commercial Street, North Sydney Dailv: Florence Bras d'Or 83 Pierce Street, North Sydney "We're there to serve you wherever you need us! You've got to give yourself a shake and say, "Listen, if you can get a high enough figure, how long would you have to race him in Sydney to get that figure?" That horse'11 either be a superstar away. He'll be a big fish in a little pond in Sydney. Or he'll be injured and by the wayside. (Was there ever a time when you had to de? cide, "Am I going to stick to horses, or am I going to--"?) Yeah, last fall here, I did. The horsemen get exactly 10% of what is bet, (19% is fed. and prov. tax;70-75% is returned as payoffs to bettors.) If they bet 50,000, the purse that's paid out shouldn't exceed $5000. So, say 10 races at an average of 500. So I could survive all right, they were go? ing for 500, and if you won you got 200. Well that would feed your horse that won that night, and probably a couple of the others, for a week or two. You could live with that. But then they dropped from 500 to 300. So instead of getting 200 for win? ning, you were getting 407o of 300--120. Some as low as 200--so if you won, you on? ly got 80 bucks. And 80 bucks doesn't go very far when you go buying feed and what? not. Jogging him all week, and paying the young fellow helping with you. So I just said, "This is crazy. I'm going to be in debt so far. I'll either have to do something else or go away." So I moved to Halifax. And it was a good move--I'm glad I went. (To Sackville Downs.) Yeah. My horses were good enough to go there. I didn't have to invest a whole lot of money, horse-wise. And instead of going for 200 here, they were going for 600 there. Or, like the better ones: I'd race Graham's JOIN THE GROWING FAMILY ,.. /NDUSnUALRARK ' Setv"ce Ear egao'''';!ooetaVNe n9taV>ar'.' eUoo SVvop equpf ,men' Ud. qUd. • Sco'''f'',etnaV'ona m Svdpo' office warehouse space available railway & common user sidings available 3600' wharf-water depths 20' to 38' ?/ new all-weather highway access to Trans-Canada Highway ?/ year-round harbour access • ' 250 acres of fully serviced land ?/ 350 additional acres for large scale development ?/ new ocean Industry centre ?/ advantageous government assistance pro? grams (incl. Enterprise Cape Breton) • ' land & buildings available for lease or sale ?/ park is an international trade zone • / skilled stevedoring workforce SYDPORT SYDPORT makes sense for sup? pliers of the revitalized coal and marine industries of Atlantic Can? ada. Good sense, too, for those who will serve the region's devel? opment offshore oil and gas action. SYDPORT has facilities for ocean? going vessels...land ready for your custom development-lease or sale...and a strategic location. For infomiation, contact: MOMBOURQUETTE (Director of Operations) or BILL WADE (Manager, Sydport) SYDPORT Industrial Park P, O, Box 154, Sydney, N, S. Canada B1P6H1 Telephone (902) 564-3636 Telex 019-35290 A project of Industrial Development Division of the Cape Breton Development Corporation.

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