Harness racing group mounts campaign to 'seize' control of Fredericton Exhibition Grounds

A desperate attempt by Horse Racing New Brunswick to find a new venue may create a hitch in a plan by the City of Fredericton and NBEx to develop housing on the Exhibition Grounds and the mayor of Fredericton, for one, is not happy about it.

"A plan has been established for this site," said Kate Rogers.

"It's in our city centre, and there's so much we need to do with that land namely housing 20 per cent of which will be affordable housing."

The horse racing group is facing the end and non-renewal of its lease this month at Exhibition Park Raceway in Saint John and is looking for another city where horses can board, exercise and race.

No racing since 2016

"If we can't be here, we've got to be in Fredericton or Moncton, and Fredericton already has a track," Guy Barbara, Horse Racing New Brunswick president, said during a recent meeting posted on the group's official fan page on Facebook.

Horses are still boarded in Fredericton, but regular horse races have not been held in the city since 2016, when the harness racing group had a legal dispute with NBEx and its lease was not renewed.

Over the last several years, the board of NBEx, which has a long-term lease for the Exhibition Grounds from the city, expiring in 2032, has worked jointly with the city on a redevelopment plan.

• Affordable housing to be made a requirement for NBEx development

Hundreds of community members were engaged in that process, said Rogers.

"We're quite far along in imagining what that is going to look like."

Besides housing, the city and NBEx board envisioned a school, a recreation centre and the exhibitionfor the site's future, but not a horse racing track.

Zoning bylaws are being put in place, said Rogers, and the next step would have been to call for proposals from developers, together with the NBEx board.

"Instead we have a group that has now made a provincial plea for people to sign up to thwart that plan and I find that unacceptable," she said.

"It's disheartening, it's startling and it baffles me that something like that would take place."

Rogers was referring to plans discussed openly and posted about on the horse racing group Facebook page to stack the membership of the NBEx and its board with people who would approve of holding at least a few race days at the Fredericton track next season and in the coming years which would obviously clash with the prospect of moving ahead with onsite housing development.

Through a combined effort with cattle farmers and draft horse owners, a few "horse people" were elected to the NBEx board at last May's annual general meeting, said Charlie Miles, in the Facebook video of the Dec. 10 meeting in Saint John.

Terms on board expiring

Miles is another Horse Racing New Brunswick board member and a longtime horse owner, trainer and driver from Fredericton.

Next spring, six more director terms will be expiring, he said.

He urged horse racing enthusiasts from across the province to buy $20 memberships in Agricultural Society 34 in order to have voting rights for the next board election. The deadline to join is Dec. 30 at noon.

"If we want to seize that track we can," Barbara said in the video.

Barbara, who lives in Saint John and used to run a hotel, told the meeting about his plans to lease O'Malleys Irish Pub, give Horse Racing New Brunswick free office space and offer simulcast wagering.

Barbara was not available for an interview with CBC News, but he sent a direct message questioning the City of Fredericton's intentions for the Exhibition Grounds.

"Fredericton city council in conjunction with developers wish to eliminate this green space to generate more money. HRNB will always stand with local horse men, farmers, cattlemen, and any other agricultural groups that wish to save this site for its original intended use agricultural appreciation."

NBEx, also known as Ag-34, is the only remaining agricultural society in the province, he said, and the board passed a motion several years ago to open membership provincewide.

• Long history of harness racing in Saint John may be nearing finish line

The NBEx has a membership of about 160, said executive director Mike Vokey, so if Horse Racing N.B. gets 50 of its supporters to attend the annual general meeting, it could "easily sway the direction of the organization."

As of Wednesday afternoon, about 80 new members had signed up in the past year, said Vokey. He called that a significant increase.

But it's not clear whether a pro-horse-racing board would, in fact, be able to bring horse racing back to Fredericton.

Housing plan 'secured'

"The coup that is being intended their desired outcome is not as straightforward as they may imagine," said Mayor Rogers.

The plan for housing is "very much secured," she said, through a secondary municipal plan that does not include harness racing as a permitted activity on the property.

However, the city did not respond to a request for clarification about whether the property is still zoned to allow horse racing.

As an alternative, Rogers offered to meet with Horse Racing N.B. to help identify areas outside the city for a possible track, "if there is a life beyond for harness racing."

Horse Racing board members discussed the struggling state of their sport during the Dec. 10 meeting.

Hopes for P.E.I. interest

Their hopes for the future are pinned on finding a "partner" in Nova Scotia or Prince Edward Island, where harness racing still goes on, after being refused by the government of New Brunswick.

Barbara said Red Shores Racing in P.E.I. was open to talking.

"They need New Brunswick horses to have a good product," he said.

Ten race dates have been proposed for Connell Park in Woodstock next summer, where one race day was held this year. Ten is the minimum that would be required to have simulcast betting in the province.

The race dates and the simulcasting both require the approval of the Atlantic Provinces Harness Racing Commission.