by Dean A. Hoffman

One topic that’s on the minds of virtually all Americans as we head for the Labor Day weekend is the cost of gasoline. Prices have been soaring all summer and there is seemingly no end in sight.

Just as rising gas prices have affected the overall economy, so have they affected harness tracks and harness trainers. The sport relies on people traveling to tracks to bet and horses traveling to tracks to race. So we asked some track managers and trainers how rising gas prices have affected them.

Jon Schuster, general manager at Indiana Downs where Grand Circuit stakes were recently contested, says, “Gas prices have had a dramatic impact on our horsemen, especially since we only have around 500 stalls. We rely a lot on ship-ins.

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Bob Blanton, who trained and raced SJ’s Caviar, says that when gas prices soared he decided to cut back on the marginal horses in his stable.

“Gas prices have also had a significant impact on the operational side of our business,” Schuster continues. “I’m talking about things such as the daily operation of tractors, trucks, and lawn mowers to keep the facility up to part and ready to race.”

Schuster says that he hasn’t seen a large enough impact on crowds in the grandstand or clubhouse to notice a difference in the attendance and handle.

“We have been very pleased with the amount of people here so far this season,” he says.

Ed Callahan, general manager at Rockingham Park, says that the track’s attendance is holding steady this year, but he sees gas prices affecting the track in the same way they’ve affected Indiana Downs.

“Our budget for operating tractors and vehicles has just been blown by the high gas prices this year,” he says.

“More of our horsemen are stabling here than shipping in,” Callahan continues. “We had a number of horsemen from Massachusetts and Maine who would ship in. Those who still ship in often come on Friday and stay until Sunday, but a number of them have taken stalls for the whole summer. We’ve also seen fewer horsemen shipping up from New York or New Jersey because the cost is so high.”

Looking toward winter, Callahan concedes he’s concerned about the cost of heating the track during the long New Hampshire winters.

“Our budget for operating tractors and vehicles has just been blown by the high gas prices,” he says.

“We heat with natural gas and that’s gone up the same as gasoline,” Callahan says.

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“I paid $2.75 recently on the way to a horse sale,” trainer Robert Yohn says. “When the sale is 250 miles from home, it adds up.”

Veteran trainer Bob Yohn trains on his farm track in southern Wisconsin, about 160 miles from Maywood Park in Chicago and about 200 miles one way from Balmoral Park. He’s accustomed to shipping to the fairs and enduring the tolls and traffic in shipping to Chicago, but gas prices have hit him hard.

“I paid $2.75 recently on the way to a horse sale,” Yohn says. “When the sale is 250 miles from home, it adds up.

“So far the gas prices haven’t affected whether I race or go to sales, but it has affected my willingness to make farm visits to look at yearlings,” he continues. “It also also made me think twice about shipping a horse into Chicago for that extra training mile.”

Yohn says that rising gas prices make him more conservative in using gas to drag his farm track or mow pastures.

Bob Blanton, who trained and raced SJ’s Caviar, is based at Pocono Downs and he says that when gas prices soared he decided to cut back on the marginal horses in his stable.

“My stable went from about 22 head to nine head,” says Blanton. “I’m not going to travel anymore. It’s just too expensive. It doesn’t cost me anything to race here [Pocono] and I have to race at The Meadows, but going to The Meadows costs me about 180 bucks round-trip in fuel only. If I don’t get a check, I’m hurting.”

Blanton owns most of the horses in his stable, but he also notes that he’s accepting fewer horses from outside owners. Increased shipping costs must be passed on to the owner. As Blanton says, “And most of the time I’m the owner.”

Dan Roland is an internet developer from Grinnell, Iowa who trains and races horse in his spare time and he’s coping with higher gas prices philosophically.

“Other than make me curse under my breath as I’m filling the tank, I can’t say that it has affected the decisions we make,” says Roland.

He says that he recently returned from racing at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield. His expenses were $200 for gas, $200 for a motel, $250 for staking, and $100 in entry fees. That adds up to $750. His horse earned $875 in Springfield, giving him $125 profit.

“But you have to take food costs out of that $125 profit,” he says. “Still, it was the most relaxing vacation I’ve ever had. I got to watch Taser Gun and Classic Photo.”

Indiana Downs publicity director Jamie Rucker predicts that things could get a lot worse in the future.

“It would be neat to keep this article and read it in 10 or 15 years when the average price of gas is $5 a gallon,” she says.

Now that’s a cheery thought.