Seventy Seven Years of Horse Racing and Still Running
By Sunny Hannum
On October 4th & 5th, Fort Pierre will celebrate over seven decades of horse racing making it the longest standing community involved in South Dakota horse racing. Shane Kramme, Verendrye Benevolent Association (VBA) director and Fort Pierre’s Chamber Director said, “Horse racing is not as localized as it once was because our bred industry has declined simply because of lack of funding. There are a lot of horses that come in from out of state. We get a lot of support from spectators and sponsors.” He added, “Everyone likes to come to watch the horses race and take part in them. I wish we could get our bred system rebuilt and have more competitive horses like we did in the mid-90s when we would have over 100-150 horses come to Fort Pierre to compete for those bred funds.”
Jody Heemstra who was interviewing Kramme for AgNetwork on August 8 said, “Pretty exciting earlier this year with the success of Mobridge native Bill Mott and Sovereignity. To hear him talk, back in his day was the hay day of horseracing in South Dakota.” Kramme added, “It absolutely was and as were all of Bill Mott’s successes along with other South Dakotans like Steve Asmussen who I believe is the leading trainer in the nation right now.”
Kramme continued, “A lot of individuals got their start in Fort Pierre and Aberdeen and it would be nice to rebuild the industry and maybe we could produce some of those individuals once again.”
Kramme said that in the condition book for the October 4th and 5th, twelve races are scheduled and sub races as well. He said, “We will take entries on Tuesday and Wednesday before the 4th and 5th. The VBA is providing incentives to get horses to come to Fort Pierre but other states surrounding South Dakota are offering great incentive so it’s becoming very competitive to get horses.”
Grandstands will be open to the public at 11 a.m. (CST) Saturday, October 4th. Post time is 1 p.m. Folks can come early to get their betting information if they want to make a pari-mutuel wager and get something to eat. Horses will be saddled for the first race at 12:30 p.m. It’s a good time to visit with people you haven’t seen in a while.
Kramme said, “The back of the program has an explanation of pari-mutuel wagering and the types of bets that you can place.”
Heemstra asked what was planned for entertainment between each race while owners and jockeys were getting horses ready for the next race. Kramme responded that they were working with some groups to provide activities and Tri State Livestock will be sponsoring the stick horse races again with $5 gift certificates for first place winners. Kramme added there are close to 80 local sponsors for gift cards, blankets and general advertising. “We couldn’t do it without them.”
Kramme said that they try to keep it affordable but did have to raise admission this year because the revenues raised from pari-mutuel tax have declined but the VBA is trying to keep prices down at the concession stands. Sixteen and under are still free and there are lot of young people who attend. There will be $3,000 in gift cards given away in drawings. Kramme said, “We work cooperatively with South Dakota Horseman’s Association to find a viable pathway to the future for South Dakota horse racing and our South Dakota bred industry because it is the cornerstone of the South Dakota horse racing industry. We are working hard to find solutions to our future and the best way you can support us is to come to the horse races. They are a part of agricultural industry. (Source: DRG Media Group Beyond The Podcasts)