Tour ~ July 8th 2010

The Royal City Men's Club met at the Mohawk Raceway on the above date at 9:30 a.m. for a presentation and tour. There were 34 members present. President Len Johnstone introduced speaker Rick Zeron, who is a driver, owner and trainer. Rick educated us about all aspects of the horse racing business by soliciting and answering questions from members. This worked so well that President Len interrupted the process at 10:15 to suggest it was time to start the tour. Ken Marchant thanked Rick and presented him with a book as a token of appreciation from the RCMC. Mohawk Raceway staff then split the group in two and took us on a tour of “the back stretch”, which turned out to be: a stable where horses are taken prior to a race, a veterinary facility where a young horse was receiving electro magnetic treatment on its rear legs, the hydro therapy facility, and finally Rick Zeron's stable. Again, Rick was very accommodating, answering questions and displaying several horses. For the record, he said the operating cost for a racehorse is about $600 per month for vet fees plus $3500 for stabling and training. He advised that if anyone wanted to purchase a racing horse it would require an initial investment of about $60,000 for the first year, and “like investing in the stock market, you should be prepared to lose your investment.” On average horses earn $40,000 to $75,000 per year, but fewer than 50% make money. The tour ended at about 11:30, and several members indicated that they had been totally unaware of the facilities and services provided by Mohawk Raceway in “the back stretch”. Gordon Framst Secretary