January 29, 2021 – Ontario Racing is pleased to announce that Standardbred horsepeople now have the opportunity to access certain purse funds that remain available under the Funding Agreement with Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) as a result of the suspension of live racing in the province as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The aforementioned funds were already committed to the industry through the Funding Agreement for Live Horse Racing between Ontario Racing and OLG.
“We are pleased to provide Standardbred horsepeople with this opportunity,” said John Hayes, Chair, Ontario Racing. “Horse racing, like many other industries in the province, has been severely impacted by the pandemic. The Ontario Racing team, OLG and industry representatives worked diligently on behalf of the industry to see this come to fruition and are grateful for your continued support.”
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ontario Racing created a task force, as it did during the spring lockdown, to address the financial impacts to Standardbred horse racing in Ontario.
Eligibility Requirements:
For horsepeople to be eligible for financial payments pursuant to this program, the Standardbred COVID-19 Task Force has determined that horses must meet the criteria outlined below to be eligible to receive an equine benefit payment for the period of December 2020 and/or January 2021:
December Payment - $300 per horse:
Horses must have a charted line, verifiable by third party information, between the dates of October 23rd and December 23rd. No application will be required for the December payment.
January - $1,000 per horse:
Horses, 3 years old and older, currently stabled in Ontario, who have started at an Ontario racetrack between June 5, 2020 and December 23, 2020 (verifiable by third party charted line) and are under the care of an AGCO licensed trainer, or unraced 3 & 4 year olds who were preparing to race and are currently stabled in Ontario and under the care of an AGCO licensed trainer.
All horses must remain stabled in Ontario and currently be under the care of an AGCO licensed trainer. The January payment will be for horses identified through a declaration/application of horses who were eligible/intending to race in 2021.
Once racing resumes in Ontario, horses who have received benefits under this program MUST make their first start at an Ontario Standardbred racetrack.
Application form:
The Standardbred Equine Benefit application for the January payment can be found here (
Application Form). The deadline to submit your application to Ontario Racing is
Monday, February 8, 2021. All mailed applications must be postmarked by
Monday, February 8, 2021 in order to be eligible. Please
email or
mail completed applications to:
Attn: Sarrah Young –
syoung@ontarioracing.com Ontario Racing Management
555 Rexdale Boulevard Toronto, ON
M9W 5L2
Important Notes:
* All payments received must be used for the care and maintenance of Standardbred horses noted on the submitted application (further details to be communicated).
* Ontario Racing reserves the right to request additional information to ensure all criteria has been met. Those receiving benefits under the program could be subject to an audit by Ontario Racing. Failure to meet the criteria will result in all amounts being repaid to Ontario Racing.
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