North Dakota Horse Park launches its Fargo Festival of Racing season

FARGO — The North Dakota Horse Park opened the Fargo Competition of Racing season on Friday.

The pageant has races scheduled Fridays and Saturdays till July 31. Every race day will function eight races with 5 to 6 horses competing.

Horse racing goes past simply working across the observe. It’s demanding, time consuming, the fixed coaching could be expensive for house owners, and tracks are sometimes many states away.

The Horse Park is certainly one of solely two horse tracks in North Dakota, with the opposite, Chippewa Downs, in Belcourt.

The fixed pursuit of the game might sound overwhelming, however for these concerned it’s a rewarding way of life.

Leon Glasser, president of the North Dakota Quarter Horse Racing Affiliation, has been across the sport for over a half century, and he mentioned he’s been round horses all of his life.

“My dad had lots of horses and it simply sort of handed on,” Glasser mentioned. “In my period, there wasn’t cell-phones and every kind of video games, so it was horses.”

Three of the races on Friday featured the futurity quarter horses, that are two-year-old sprinters. All the horses are licensed North Dakota bred. Of the 49 horses competing within the races, 35 are from North Dakota.

“I’m glad to see anyone that raises a North Dakota bred horse” Glasser mentioned.

It’s onerous to inform if the futurity horses are going to be good runners, Glasser mentioned.

“The gamble is within the two-year-olds, since you don’t know what you may have,” Glasser mentioned. “So if they’ll’t run, you just about need to eliminate them and promote them.”

Glasser mentioned numbers in horse racing have been dwindling across the space with fewer youthful folks being agriculture-focused.

“Racing has sort of gotten to be sort of a troublesome recreation,” Glasser mentioned. “It appears because the generations go by there’s much less ‘ag’- or country-related folks.”

Glasser breeds and sells his personal horses. He has two horses competing in races this weekend that he offered. He additionally has a horse racing at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minn.

One generally misunderstood facet of the game is how a lot effort and time it takes to boost a racehorse, Glasser mentioned.

“I feel lots of followers aren’t conscious of the entire work that truly goes in, the entire bills the proprietor has,” mentioned Glasser. “There’s lots of time and a substantial amount of cash that it’s a must to put money into.”

So as to add to the already costly sport, costs of requirements, akin to feed and hay, have additionally seen will increase in costs in recent times. Glasser mentioned his season normally lasts from November to September.

“You don’t get a lot of a break,” Glasser mentioned.

Hugh Drexler started his first 12 months as basic supervisor of the Horse Park firstly of 2022. He mentioned lots of the horses that race on the Horse Park are from across the area.

“We don’t get too many horses from the encircling areas,” Drexler mentioned. “Though, we attempt to recruit them. But it surely sort of appears between the low purses being somewhat bit decrease and never racing sufficient through the 12 months, it sort of restricts it to native horses working right here.”

Drexler isn’t any stranger to the game.

“My father was a jockey and my grandparents have been trainers,” Drexler mentioned. “So, I grew up in it. It’s a ardour, it’s a kind of issues for me that you understand, it’s in my blood.

“I grew up on the bottom of a race observe,” he mentioned. I’ve breeded horses. I’ve owned horses. I’ve been within the administration aspect, so I’ve completed somewhat little bit of every thing concerned with horse racing.”

Drexler mentioned the game used to have a enjoyable family-friendly environment, however with the recognition of sports activities betting, the on line casino trade modified the aura of the game. Relating to betting, Drexler mentioned there’s no method however trusting your instincts.

“I’d say go along with your intestine,” mentioned Drexler. “Some folks handicap by this system, some folks will have a look at a horse and say ‘Hey, that horse is fairly, I feel that horse will win’. So, actually no matter your type of handicapping is, that’s what’ll work. There’s actually no secret to it.”