SURREY - The backstretch at Fraser Downs has been Ray Gemmill's home away from home for 34 years.

Once a driver and now the owner of four standardbred racehorses, the octogenarian is still active at the track. There's a move afoot, however, to drastically cut the number of race days at Fraser Downs and that has Gemmill worried about the track's future. In fact, he's worried about the sport's future in B.C.

It's 10:30 Monday morning and the temperature is already up there. It's going to be another scorcher. Gemmill sits in the shade outside one of the barns, shooting the breeze with some of the other backstretch folk. The subject of conversation? An Aug. 13 letter from Derek Sturko, an assistant deputy minister in Rich Coleman's Ministry of Housing and Social Development, about the future of racing in Cloverdale. Gambling - including horse racing - is part of Coleman's portfolio.

Sturko heads up the BC Horse Racing Industry Management Committee and the government's Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch (GPEB). He is not the bearer of glad tidings for Gemmill and his colleagues. His writes that horse racing, like other businesses, has been hurt by the recent recession. Revenues are down and the economic future is uncertain.

Then Sturko gets down to the meat of the thing.

"I am writing today to communicate decisions taken by the Great Canadian Gaming Corporation (GCGC) regarding the current and coming race seasons," Sturko pens.

Great Canadian wants the 2010 standard bred season cut by 14 days between Oct. 15 and Dec. 31.

The real issue comes a few paragraphs later.

"For 2011, GCGC has requested that GPEB rescind all assigned race days for the standardbred sector but has indicated that it may in future request approval to race in 2011 with the number of potential race days yet to be determined."

Sturko notes the casino said a 2011 race season is much more likely if a deal can be worked out to split the season between B.C. and Alberta tracks.

"That's just Sturko blowing smoke up everyone's ass," said one of Gemmill's companions.

The general consensus in the barn is the B.C.-Alberta split season is a pipe dream; that it's never going to happen. Great Canadian is already cutting race purses, the backstretchers say. Now they want horsemen to add travel costs to the expense side of their ledgers? How is that going to work, they ask.

Gemmill doesn't like what he's hearing.

"I came out here in 1974 with Jim Keeling Sr. to revive harness racing in B.C. I've been racing since 1957. I've raced in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, all over. We're supposed to be partners with Great Canadian, but they just treat us like we're second-class. They make it sound like we're costing them money. They take $20,000 a month out of our purse pool for expenses."

Gemmill is less than impressed with the way Coleman's ministry deals with Great Canadian.

Howard Blank is a Great Canadian vice-president.

"We're committed to the 2011 season and we're working with Alberta to do something," Blank said, adding slot machines have contributed millions every year in funding for horse racing.

"We're not closing down Fraser Downs. We may have to reduce the number of races. We're having to make decisions nobody likes. The easy thing would be to stop racing at Fraser Downs. Will there be reductions? Yes. There's not as much spending by customers and we have to do something."

Meanwhile, over on the backstretch, people wonder what the future holds.

"It's been tough to make a go of it around here for years," said groom Duane Mannery.

"This announcement just puts the nail in the coffin. We've gotta start looking for other work."

tcolley@thenownewspaper.com