For General Manager Steve Fitzsimmons and his team at Hanover Raceway, losing regular access to their beloved harness racing track has made COVID-19 even harder to handle. Having been raised in a harness racing family, managing the racetrack has always been more than just a job for Steve. “I helped my dad groom his horse and spent weekends with him racing at Hanover Raceway as a kid, so this place means a great deal to me. It’s always been my favourite place. It’s a passion job, because I care so much about this place and have been connected to it for such a long time.”
With a normal capacity of up to 2500 fans, Steve knew that with the pandemic restrictions he would need to explore new ways of reaching people. With his background in broadcasting, last year his team built a brand new broadcast studio in their building where they were able to broadcast live races in high definition across multiple platforms – Facebook Live, YouTube and the HanoverRaceway.com website. And for the first time in their 57 year history, horse racing announcers offered live commentary between races, creating a more entertaining product to watch the sport online. During lockdown the Raceway also increased their reach with more social media interaction on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Overall the changes have brought a new audience to Hanover Raceway, with wagering up 91% at a time when many racetracks are not faring as well.
In consultation with Grey Bruce Health Unit the Raceway has postponed their June race dates, but Steve is keeping his fingers crossed for a projected opening of June 19th with the province’s new roadmap to recovery. Steve says he misses the fans being onsite but he’s happy to adhere to the COVID-19 protocols. He’s looking forward to the days when the crowds can return and everyone can enjoy their tourism product on site. He’s used the downtime to plan a number of exciting future promotions that will excite and delight the fans with lots of prizes and interactive fun. Once things do open up, the Town of Hanover also has ambitious plans to brand the area as an entertainment district and undoubtedly, the Hanover Raceway will be at the centre of those developments.
We can’t wait to see what’s in store for Steve and the team at Hanover Raceway!
