The End Of The Races?

WAITSBURG - For the second year in a row, there won't be any horse racing in the Touchet Valley.

In February, the Washington State Racing Commission asked our local tracks to submit the dates they would like to hold races, but neither Dayton nor Waitsburg put their names in, sources say.

The board that organizes Dayton Days and the board that organizes Days of Real Sport cannot afford to host racing events this year because insurance costs have more than doubled from two years ago, said Terry Jacoy, a member of the board for Days of Real Sport.

It used to cost the groups about $7,000 in insurance for two days of racing, Jacoy said. Now, it would cost the groups about $22,000 for two days, he said.

"Neither Waitsburg nor Dayton put in for dates because of costs," Jacoy said.

The insurance is liability insurance that covers jockeys. Some claims filed over the past two years meant the insurance company was paying out more than it was collecting. Walla Walla and Tri Cities races had some accidents that raised those premiums and that is why this area is affected. Jacoy said it doesn't help the situation that only one or two companies offer that kind of insurance, so the groups can't really shop around for lower prices. He added that Oregon has different rules and they are continuing to host races.

No racing was held in Dayton, Waitsburg or Walla Walla in 2011 because the state commission gave racing dates and funding only to Tri Cities. Since then, our local groups have been trying to find money of their own so they could ask for dates in 2012.

Melissa Hansen, the Dayton Days treasurer and head of the racing committee, said Dayton Days has about $15,000 to host races, but it's not enough to cover the insurance.

Jacoy said Waitsburg and Days of Real Sport are in the same boat.

"We have money in the bank, but we haven't gotten money from the state in two years," he said.

At a Dayton Days board meeting last week, the board decided to not put on a race this year. Over the next couple of months, Hansen said the group will be working on trying to lower the cost of the insurance so it's more affordable, looking for fundraising opportunities and executing them and figuring out ways to draw more people to the event.

In the past, Dayton held two days of racing in addition to Pro West Rodeo, but bringing in the rodeo is very expensive too, Hansen said.

"We just can't financially sustain it," she said.

At this point, it is unknown if anything will take place in Dayton on Memorial Day Weekend. This would have been Dayton Days' 95th year if racing had taken place last year, Hansen said. The Dayton Chamber of Commerce did put on a parade last year, but the group does not know if it will do so this year.

As for Waitsburg, the Commercial Club and Annual Car Show are joining forces this year. There wasn't any racing in Waitsburg the typical third Saturday of May in 2011, but there was a parade. This year, there will be a parade, classic car show, food and music in downtown Waitsburg on May 19, said Robbie Johnson, the president of the Commercial Club.

"Last year, we needed there to be more," he said. "We hope we have more auto entries (in the parade) than ever before. We're really tickled they're going to sponsor that."

The parade will begin at 10 a.m. that day and food, vendors and music will take place in Preston Park.

Now going into the second year without horse racing, community members are wondering if racing will ever come back to the Touchet Valley.

Jacoy said to put on horse races this year, the Days of Real Sport board would have needed to raise $30,000 or more and the event just doesn't bring that money back into the town.

"There's not that return for the community," he said. "The economy would have to change tremendously."

Hansen said she and her board members for Dayton Days will brainstorm and evaluate the situation until next October. That is the month the group typically elects its officers and begins to prepare for the next event. She said the board will evaluate all of the information and options at that point and decide whether to work toward a Dayton Days with horse racing in 2013.

"We thank the community and businesses for their past support," Hansen said. "We hope they support us with whatever we decide to do in the future."