SALEM, N.H. — There won't be any live horse racing at Rockingham Park this season for the first time in years because of a loss in state funding, President Edward Callahan announced yesterday.
Callahan, who also serves as general manager, said the century-old tradition will be halted for at least 2010 because the Legislature refuses to fund the state Racing and Charitable Gaming Commission. The agency regulates horse racing throughout New Hampshire.
"We have waited as long as we can for the Legislature to correct this, but we cannot wait any longer," Callahan said in his announcement. "We must notify the horsemen who come from all over the country so they can make other plans. Attempts have been made to restore funding to the commission, but those attempts have been unsuccessful."
Callahan said the state has eliminated funding for racing over the past few years and raised fees that would cost the track nearly $500,000 per year to hold racing.
"It's very frustrating," Callahan said in an interview last night. "There is so much more to this industry than just what people see on the racetrack."
With no harness racing, more than 100 jobs would be lost at the track and the state would lose more than 870 industry professionals who had been licensed at Rockingham over the past year, Callahan said.
"The horsemen are not pleased," he added.
The state received more than $2.5 million each year from the park in fees and taxes from racing, concession sales, charitable gaming and lottery sales, Callahan said.
He has testified before the House Ways and Means Committee that live racing generates nearly $12 million per year in New Hampshire, and that racing and simulcasting at Rockingham bring in more than $30 million each year.
The loss of live racing will also have a widespread impact on the community, especially the amount of business it generates for local restaurants, Callahan said.
Callahan said although he understands state government faces a tight budget situation, lawmakers should have been able to reach agreement on the need to fund horse racing in New Hampshire.
"It's regrettable this is not being taken more seriously," he said. "To be honest, I thought we would be able to make more progress with the Legislature."
Callahan said he intends to keep working with legislators to bring live racing back for 2011.
"Hopefullly, that can be accomplished," he said.
Some local lawmakers agree their colleagues should have done more to save racing at Rockingham.
"Obviously, I'm very disappointed," said Rep. D.J. Bettencourt, R-Salem. "I'm very sad. ... Rockingham Park has been a staple of the Salem community for a long time."
Bettencourt, who supports plans to revitalize Rockingham through expanded gambling, said the need to help keep live racing at the track has fallen on "deaf ears" in the Legislature.
"It is very unfortunate that we at the state level couldn't get everything together," he said. "We've worked hard for a number of years to make something happen."
Rep. Russell Ingram, R-Salem, also said the Legislature should have done more to help Rockingham continue racing and supports the introduction of slot machines at the park.
"I would like to see it happen because it's going to be a boon to Salem, the state, and all the towns around it," he said.
But another supporter of live racing at Rockingham has a different reason for not wanting to see it end.
Carlos Figueroa, 82, has trained racehorses in the area since 1949. He was anxiously waiting for racing to resume this spring.
"I think it's a slap in the face," he said. "Live racing puts a lot of people to work. It's big. ... We have to fight to get everything back."
This will be the first year there has been no live racing at Rockingham since a fire destroyed the grandstand in July 1980, closing the track for four years. It reopened in 1984, continuing a tradition that began in 1906 in Salem.
